2023 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Ilsa 2023
Recorded track and intensity from Apr 5, 2023 to Apr 15, 2023
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161 mph
Apr 13, 2023 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Ilsa is listed in the South Pacific basin for the 2023 season. Its archived track begins on Apr 5, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC at 7.1°S, 135.4°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 17 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 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 161 mph, first recorded on Apr 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC at 19.1°S, 118.8°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 920 hPa on Apr 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC.
The full record spans 234 hours and approximately 2,530 mi along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 22.9°S, 132.9°E on Apr 15, 2023, 06:00 AM UTC.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ilsa in brief
What was Cyclone Ilsa's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Apr 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Ilsa?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Apr 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Ilsa's lowest pressure?
920 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Apr 13, 2023, 09:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Ilsa occur?
The archived track runs from Apr 5, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC to Apr 15, 2023, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Apr 6, 2023, 06:00 PM UTC to Apr 15, 2023, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Ilsa form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2023 season. Its first archived position is 7.1°S, 135.4°E on Apr 5, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Cyclone Ilsa make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 129 mph on Apr 13, 2023, 04:00 PM 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