:Cyclone Nigel

{{infobox weather event

| name = Severe Tropical Cyclone Nigel

| image = Nigel Jan 19 1985 0310Z.png

| caption = Cyclone Nigel on January 19, 1985

| formed = January 14, 1985

| dissipated = January 20, 1985

}}{{infobox weather event/FMS

| winds = 80

| pressure = 955

}}{{infobox weather event/JTWC

| winds = 105

| pressure =

}}{{infobox weather event/Effects

| year = 1985

| fatalities = 25

| damage = 40000000

| areas = Vanuatu, Fiji

| refs =

}}{{infobox weather event/Footer

| season = 1984–85 Australian region and the South Pacific cyclone seasons

}}

Severe Tropical Cyclone Nigel was the second of two tropical cyclones to affect Northern Vanuatu and the Fijian islands during January 1985. The system was first noted as an ill-defined low-pressure area ("low") located within the Intertropical Convergence Zone near the Cape York Peninsula. Over the next few days the low moved eastwards and increased in strength; it was named Nigel on January 16 as it developed into a tropical cyclone.

Meteorological history

Severe Tropical Cyclone Nigel was first noted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) as an ill-defined low, located within the Intertropical Convergence Zone near the Cape York Peninsula during January 1985.{{cite journal|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology |title=The Australian tropical cyclone season 1984–85 |volume=33 |pages=133–136 |year=1985 |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/1985/kuuse.pdf |access-date=July 23, 2013 |author1=Kuuse J |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |url-status=live |journal=Australian Meteorological Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123070253/http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/1985/kuuse.pdf }} Over the next several days, the system gradually moved eastwards into the Coral Sea, before the BoM reported that a tropical low had developed about {{convert|480|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the northeast of Townsville, Queensland during January 14.{{cite web|url={{IBTRACS url|id=1985014S16151}}|publisher=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship|title=1985 Tropical Cyclone Nigel (1985014S16151)|access-date=April 14, 2025}} Over the next couple of days, the low continued to develop further as it moved eastwards, before on January 16, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 13P.{{cite report|publisher=United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center|title=Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1985|volume=33|pages=138, 246|url=https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/atcr/1985atcr.pdf|archive-date=April 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409152204/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/atcr/1985atcr.pdf|url-status=live}} Later that day, the BoM named the system Nigel after an eye had become distinct on satellite imagery and it had developed into a modern day category 2 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.{{cite report|type=Mariners Weather Log: Volume 29: Issue 3: Summer 1985|title=Hurricane Alley: Tropical Cyclones — January 1985|year=1985|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|hdl=2027/mdp.39015011139428|oclc=648466886|issn=0025-3367|editor=DeAngellis, Richard M|pages=170–174}} At this stage, the newly named system was located about {{convert|1010|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on|comma=off}} to the northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu and was moving out of the Australian region and into South Pacific basin, where it came under the purview of the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).

As the newly named system moved into the basin on January 17, the FMS reported that Nigel had become a hurricane or a category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained windspeeds estimated at {{convert|65|kn|km/h mph|round=5|abbr=on|order=out}}.{{cite report|author=Krishna, Ram|publisher=Fiji Meteorological Service|date=12 February 1985|title=Tropical Cyclone Nigel: Preliminary Report}} The system subsequently accelerated eastwards during that day, before it passed very near or over various islands in northern Vanuatu including Espiritu Santo, Malo, Ambae, and Pentecost. After moving through northern Vanuatu, Nigel started to move south-eastwards towards Fiji, before at around 00:00 UTC (12:00 Fiji Standard Time) on January 19, the JTWC reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of {{convert|105|kn|km/h mph|order=out|abbr=on|round=5}}, which made it equivalent to a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. At around the same time, the FMS estimated that Nigel had peaked with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of {{convert|75|-|80|kn|km/h mph|order=out|abbr=on|round=5}}, which made it a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale. At this stage, the system was located about {{convert|200|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the northeast of Nadi and its eye had started to appear on the radar at Nadi airport. Radar imagery showed that the hurricane had started to weaken as it had a large clear area next to its eyewall, which the FMS speculated was due to strong vertical windshear and drier air driven up from higher latitudes by Cyclone Eric.

On January 19, the system moved south-eastwards through Fiji's Yasawa Islands and Mamanuca Islands before it made landfall on Viti Levu to the west of Ba at about 05.15 UTC (17.15 FST). Over the next few hours frictional forces and a decrease in its moisture intake caused the system to weaken further, while it also slowed down and started to move eastwards. By about 09.00 UTC (21.00 FST), Nigel had emerged back into the Pacific Ocean and near Wakaya in the Lomaiviti Islands, while the FMS estimated that the system had weakened into a category 1 tropical cyclone. During that day, Nigel continued to move eastwards and passed near the Lau Islands of Cicia and Tuvuca, before it passed through Tonga's Haʻapai group of islands and about {{convert|160|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the south of Alofi, Niue during January 20. Over the next few days, the system continued to be monitored by both the FMS and New Zealand's Meteorological Service, before it was last noted on January 28, while located about {{convert|800|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the north of Auckland, New Zealand.

Preparations and impact

=Vanuatu=

Cyclone Nigel was the second of three tropical cyclones to affect Vanuatu within a week, and the second of five tropical cyclones to impact Vanuatu in 1985.{{Vanuatu Tropical Cyclones}} Nigel affected the islands of Espiritu Santo, Ambae, Maewo and Pentecost between January 17 and 18, and was thought to have caused more damage than Cyclone Eric.{{cite report|title=Vanautu — Cyclonic Storms (Pacific Region): Situation Report 4|type=UNDRO 85/0303|publisher=United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs|date=February 7, 1985|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/fiji/fiji-cyclonic-storms-pacific-region-jan-1985-undro-situation-reports-1-4|access-date=February 3, 2015}} As the system passed near the weather station on Espiritu Santo, an anemometer was destroyed as it recorded a wind gust of {{convert|157|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, while a minimum pressure of {{convert|987.9|hPa|inHg|abbr=on}} was also recorded.

After assessing the damage and finding thousands of people homeless, the Government of Vanuatu established a disaster relief and reconstruction fund.{{cite report|publisher=United States Agency for International Development|type=Disaster Case Report|title=Vanuatu — Cyclones|year=1985|pages=1–2|url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAB384.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210141033/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAB384.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 10, 2014|access-date=December 6, 2014}}

The Government of Vanuatu asked the Australian Government for emergency food aid and other emergency humanitarian relief assistance including shelters and sanitation equipment.{{cite report|title=Fiji — Cyclonic Storms (Pacific Region): Information Report 3|date=January 20, 1985|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/fiji/fiji-cyclonic-storms-pacific-region-jan-1985-undro-information-reports-1-3|type=UNDRO 85/0155|publisher=United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs|access-date=December 6, 2014}} Australia flew in four survey teams by helicopter and sent six C-130 plane loads of humanitarian assistance which included plastic sheeting, ropes, medical supplies, clothing and rice.{{cite report|title=Fiji — Cyclonic Storms (Pacific Region): Situation Report 1|type=UNDRO 85/0164|publisher=United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/fiji/fiji-cyclonic-storms-pacific-region-jan-1985-undro-situation-reports-1-4|access-date=December 6, 2014|date=January 22, 1985}} UNDRO and the governments of the UK and the USA donated money to the Vanuatuan Government, while France donated a cargo of food that was flown in from Nouméa, New Caledonia.

=Fiji=

Nigel was the second of two severe tropical cyclones to make landfall on the Fijian Island of Viti Levu within 36 hours, and the second of four tropical cyclones to impact Fiji in 1985.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122479601|title=Thousands left homeless, 23 dead after cyclones.|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=22 January 1985|access-date=3 February 2015|page=5|via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite report|author1=Mcgree, Simon|page=33|author2=Yeo, Stephen W|author3=Devi, Swastika|title=Flooding in the Fiji Islands between 1840 - 2009|access-date=February 1, 2015|publisher=Risk Frontiers|date=December 16, 2010|url=https://www.riskfrontiers.com/pdf/Floods%20in%20Fiji%201840-2009%20-%20Risk%20Frontiers%20final.pdf|archive-date=March 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316104935/http://www.riskfrontiers.com/RFfrontimages/Floods%20in%20Fiji%201840-2009%20-%20Risk%20Frontiers%20final.pdf|url-status=dead}} Ahead of the system making landfall, relief efforts for Cyclone Eric, which had hit the same region just two days earlier, had to be suspended.{{cite report|title=Fiji — Cyclones|type=Disaster Case Report|year=1985|publisher=United States Agency for International Development|pages=1–7|url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAB347.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210142442/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAB347.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 10, 2014|access-date=December 6, 2014}} As the system affected Fiji, around 1000 people took shelter in the Nadi International Airport passenger terminal.{{cite news|title=Second hurricane lashes Fiji|date=January 21, 1985|page=5|agency=Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r0dOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oRMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6120%2C5513989|newspaper=Star News|access-date=February 20, 2015}}

Once Nigel left Fiji, on January 19, the relief effort from Cyclone Eric was resumed with ships sent to the outer islands to assess the damage. 272 tourists were flown back to Melbourne Airport during January 21, after they had been through both systems.{{cite news|title=Melbourne Paradise After Fiji Cyclones|date=January 22, 1985|page=5|agency=The Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MrJWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SugDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4717%2C3696100|access-date=February 20, 2015|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}} The following day the Fijian Government outlined their long-term rehabilitation needs and requested international assistance from the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization and various countries. These needs included a six-month food-rationing project for 10,000 households, a rehabilitation program for 10,000 shelters and improved internal communication including between the FMS in Nadi and the capital city Suva. Australia donated {{ntsp|100000||$}} to the Fijian Prime Ministers Relief Fund in order to provide food to those who needed it.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122479726|title=IN Brief: Fijian Aid.|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=23 January 1985 |access-date=3 February 2015|page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}