Cyclone Bola

Category 3 cyclone (SSHS)
Satellite image of Cyclone Bola near peak intensity
Formed	February 24, 1988
Dissipated	March 4, 1988
Highest winds	195 km/h (120 mph) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure	935 hPa (mbar)
Fatalities	3 direct
Damage	$87 million (1988 USD) $158 million (2008 USD)
Areas affected	Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand
Part of the 1987-88 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season

Cyclone Bola was one of the costliest cyclones in the history of New Zealand, though it did so as an extratropical cyclone. The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating Tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India 's West Bengal on The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere Tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of Tropical depressions Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth The bar (symbol bar) decibar (symbol dbar) and the millibar (symbol mbar, also mb are units of Pressure. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The 1985-1990 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons ran year-round from July 1 to June 30 during each year between 1985 and 1990 In Meteorology, a cyclone refers to an area of closed circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of Cyclones defined as synoptic scale low It formed on February 24 to the north of Fuji, and tracking generally southwestward it reached hurricane-force winds near Vanuatu on February 28. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Tropical cyclones are ranked according to their maximum winds using several scales Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule The next day it reached peak winds of 195 km/h (120 mph), though it quickly weakened as it accelerated southward. On March 4 Bola transitioned into an extratropical storm, passing to the north of the North Island of New Zealand on March 8. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. It weakened further and was absorbed by a stationary trough near the South Island on March 12. A trough is an elongated region of relatively low Atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts Unlike fronts there is not a universal symbol for The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving

The cyclone first affected Fiji, where it produced gale force winds and strong waves. In Vanuatu, Bola dropped heavy rainfall, which destroyed two bridges and caused $5 million in damage (1988 USD, $9 million 2008 USD). With a national damage total of over $120 million (1988 NZD, $198 million 2008 NZD, $149 million 2008 USD), Bola caused severe damage to the North Island of New Zealand, where heavy rainfall peaked at 917 mm (36. 1 in) in Gisborne Region. For other uses of Gisborne see Gisborne (disambiguation. Gisborne (Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa is the name of a unitary authority in New Zealand Three people were killed due to flooding, and hundreds were evacuated when a swollen river threatened a town. The name Bola was retired, meaning it will not be used again within the same basin. Tropical cyclone names may be retired (removed from the name list in several Tropical cyclone basins around the world by the World Meteorological Organization

Storm history

Storm path

A tropical disturbance began organizing about 870 km (540 mi) north of Fuji on February 23. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable It tracked southwestward, intensifying into a tropical storm on February 24;^[1] the system was named Tropical Storm Bola by Nadi Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC Nadi). Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (also Regional Specialized Meteorological Center and Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre) is responsible for the ^[2] The storm turned westward on February 25, which was followed by a turn to the southwest the next day. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Bola gradually intensified as its forward motion slowed and stalled, and on February 28 the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed the cyclone as reaching hurricane-force winds near Vanuatu. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC is a joint United States Navy &ndash United States Air Force task force located at Naval Maritime Forecast Center Tropical cyclones are ranked according to their maximum winds using several scales Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island It turned to a southeast drift before executing a small cyclonic loop on March 1, during which the JTWC estimated Bola attained peak winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant At the same time, its minimum central pressure was estimated at 935 mbar. The bar (symbol bar) decibar (symbol dbar) and the millibar (symbol mbar, also mb are units of Pressure. ^[1]

After reaching peak intensity, Cyclone Bola quickly weakened as it accelerated southeastward toward a frontal trough. A cold front defined as the leading edge of a cooler and drier mass of air ^[1][3] On March 3, its winds dropped below hurricane-force,^[1] and it gradually lost its tropical characteristics. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding The structure became asymmetric, with a large band of clouds extending well south of the circulation. ^[3] By March 4, Bola had completed the transition into an extratropical cyclone. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of Cyclones defined as synoptic scale low ^[1] The cyclone turned southward and began to affect the North Island of New Zealand on March 6. The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of A building ridge of high pressure to its south caused the extratropical remnants of Bola to slow and turn to the west on March 7. A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high Atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus The next day, the storm passed about 110 km (70 mi) north of the North Island. Around the same time, the storm began slowly filling, meaning the low pressure area associated with Bola was losing its identity. A low pressure area, or " low " is a region where the Atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area It turned southward on March 9, and on March 12 the cyclone was absorbed by a stationary trough in the Westerlies near the western coast of the South Island. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving The Westerlies or the Prevailing Westerlies are the prevailing winds in the Middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees Latitude, blowing from The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. ^[3]

Impact

Fence posted buried alongside Lake Tutira due to erosion caused by Cyclone Bola

Fiji and Vanuatu

As a tropical cyclone, Bola first impacted Fiji shortly after forming while passing to the northwest, and again as it was weakening after peak intensity to the southwest of the island. Lake Tutira is a body of water in northeastern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य It brushed the country with gale force winds and waves of up to 5 m (16. A gale is a very strong Wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong 4 ft), though overall damage in the archipelago was minor. ^[4]

Cyclone Bola remained near Vanuatu for about a week,^[5] during which the cyclone reached its peak intensity while executing a cyclonic loop. Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island ^[1] The most affected locations were Epi island, the Shepherd Islands, and the islands in Malampa Province, and throughout the country the cyclone affected more than 15,000 people and 3,000 houses. This article relates to the Volcanic Island Epi An épi also has meaning in architecture as a spire shaped termination on a hipped roof The Shepherd Islands (coordinates) are a group of islands lying between the larger islands of Epi and Éfaté, in the Shefa province of Vanuatu Malampa is a province of Vanuatu, made up of three main islands Malakula, Ambrym and Paama, from which the province's name is derived ^[5] In a five day period the cyclone dropped about 450 mm (17. 7 in) of rainfall; the precipitation destroyed two bridges on Malakula, and several other bridges on the island were flooded or damaged. Malakula Island (coordinates) is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean region of Melanesia. ^[6] The passage of the cyclone left several buildings, roads, and crop fields damaged. Monetary damage totaled about $5 million (1988 USD, $9 million 2008 USD), which is about 10% of the country's national budget. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[5]

New Zealand

The passage of Cyclone Bola resulted in among the heaviest rainfall totals for a single storm in the history of New Zealand, and some locations received more than half of the annual rainfall total from the storm. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island While the cyclone passed north of the island, a strong easterly flow over the North Island contained the interaction between moist air from Bola and drier air from the ridge to its southeast. In the Gisborne region, the flow resulted in the heaviest rainfall totals, when the moisture ascended over the region's western mountainous areas and condensed into precipitation. For other uses of Gisborne see Gisborne (disambiguation. Gisborne (Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa is the name of a unitary authority in New Zealand One station recorded 419 mm (16. 5 in) in a 24 hour period. ^[3] The maximum rainfall total attributed to the storm was 917 mm (36. 1 in), reported at a station near Tolaga Bay. Tolaga Bay is both a bay and small town on the East Coast of New Zealand 's North Island. ^[7] Heavy rainfall totals of up to and over 300 mm (12 in) were observed in the regions of Auckland and Northland. Geography On the mainland the region extends from the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour in the north across the southern stretches of the North Auckland Peninsula Geography Northland is located in what is often referred to by New Zealanders as the Far North, or because of its mild climate The Winterless North. ^[3] The cyclone is the largest to be recorded in 93 years of rainfall records. As such, it had a large and lasting effect on the rivers of the area when it deposited a large amount of sediment, as recorded in the sedimentary record of Lake Tutira. Lake Tutira is a body of water in northeastern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. ^[8] Shortly prior to losing its identity, the remnants of Bola also dropped 100–200 mm (4–8 in) of precipitation on the South Island of New Zealand. The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. ^[3]

Storm damage was heaviest in Gisborne, where rainfall destroyed or damaged several roads and bridges. ^[3] Three days of continuous rainfall led to mudslides, flooding,^[7] and erosion. ^[9] Flooding killed three people when a car was swept away. In Te Kahara in Gisborne, a flooded river forced 500 residents to evacuate. A total of 1,765 farmers were affected by the flooding, accounting for about 3,600 hectares (8,900 acres) of damaged crop fields and about $90 million in crop damage (1988 NZD, $148 million 2008 NZD, $112 million 2008 USD). Water supplies were disrupted in two cities due to flooding. Rainfall in Northland Region caused flooding and outages to telephone and power. Geography Northland is located in what is often referred to by New Zealanders as the Far North, or because of its mild climate The Winterless North. ^[7] Additionally, beginning on about May 6, the cyclone began affecting the North Island with strong easterly winds of over hurricane force, caused by the interaction between the extratropical remnants of Bola and a ridge of high pressure to its south. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. The winds damaged a few homes,^[3] including some in which the roofs were damaged or destroyed. ^[7] In addition, the strong winds downed several trees,^[3] and at the same time, erosion and landslides left hillsides bare without grass or trees. ^[9]

Cyclone Bola was one of the most damaging cyclones to affect New Zealand,^[7] with a damage total of over $120 million (1988 NZD, $198 million 2008 NZD, $149 million 2008 USD). ^[9]

Aftermath

In Vanuatu, cyclone victims received food and emergency aid following the storm. ^[5] The HMAS Cessnock provided manpower assistance to 11 islands in the country. ^[10]

After the passage of the storm, four towns in New Zealand declared states of emergency. ^[7] The New Zealand provided about $80 million (1988 NZD) to the east coast region of the North Island for assisting in cyclone damage. $8 million was used to create an East Coast Forestry Conservation Scheme, which was set to protect forests and prevent erosion. ^[9] A study was taken five years after the storm, consisting of a group of 112 people who were evacuated or received monetary assistance in response to the cyclone; the study showed 12% of the respondents as experiencing Posttraumatic stress disorder, of which they reported a general lack of assistance and public support. Post traumatic stress disorder It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to ^[11]

The name Bola was later retired, meaning it will not be used again within the same basin. Tropical cyclone names may be retired (removed from the name list in several Tropical cyclone basins around the world by the World Meteorological Organization ^[2]

See also

• List of tropical cyclones
• Geography of New Zealand

References