2004 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Heta 2003–2004
Cyclone Heta followed an unusual northward path before turning south and intensifying in early January 2004. Its strongest phase occurred west of Samoa, ahead of a long southeastward run into the South Pacific.
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161 mph
Jan 5, 2004 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A northward start near the Date Line
The archive begins near 15°S, 177°E on December 25. Heta's precursor moved east across the Date Line, then curved north toward 8°S. Winds remained at depression or low tropical-storm strength during this early part of the track.
Strengthening on the southward turn
The cyclone turned south near 174°W and strengthened. Maximum one-minute winds reached 140 kt on January 5, equivalent to Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. At that stage, the center lay near 14°S, west of Samoa.
Heta continued southeast and remained intense as it crossed 18°S near 171°W. It weakened while accelerating south of 20°S and then 30°S. The late track curves back west over the subtropical ocean, with the archive ending on January 12. No recorded center position lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Heta in brief
What was Cyclone Heta's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jan 5, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Heta?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jan 5, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Heta's lowest pressure?
898 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jan 5, 2004, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Heta occur?
The archived track runs from Dec 25, 2003, 06:00 AM UTC to Jan 12, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Dec 30, 2003, 12:00 AM UTC to Jan 8, 2004, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Heta form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2004 season. Its first archived position is 15°S, 176.5°E on Dec 25, 2003, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Heta make landfall?
No archived position places Cyclone Heta's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
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