2020 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Harold 2020
Recorded track and intensity from Apr 1, 2020 to Apr 11, 2020
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167 mph
Apr 6, 2020 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Harold is listed in the South Pacific basin for the 2020 season. Its archived track begins on Apr 1, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC at 9.2°S, 154.9°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 23 mph. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.
The first Category 5 observation appears on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 167 mph, first recorded on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC at 15.8°S, 167.8°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 909 hPa on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC.
The full record spans 240 hours and approximately 4,170 mi along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 35°S, 148°W on Apr 11, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on Apr 9, 2020, 03:00 PM UTC.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Areas affected | Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Harold in brief
What was Cyclone Harold's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Harold?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Harold's lowest pressure?
909 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Apr 6, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Harold occur?
The archived track runs from Apr 1, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC to Apr 11, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Apr 1, 2020, 12:00 PM UTC to Apr 9, 2020, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Harold form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2020 season. Its first archived position is 9.2°S, 154.9°E on Apr 1, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Harold make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 138 mph on Apr 6, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology