2014 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Ita 2014
Ita strengthened rapidly over the Coral Sea before weakening just ahead of Queensland. The reduced winds limited structural damage, but agricultural losses remained substantial.
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161 mph
Apr 10, 2014 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Westward from the Solomon Islands
Ita began as a tropical low over the Solomon Islands in early April and moved gradually westward. It reached cyclone strength on April 5, then intensified rapidly on April 10. The archive records peak sustained winds of 140 knots that day, equivalent to Category 5 on the one-minute wind scale.
The cyclone weakened in the hours before reaching Cape Flattery on Queensland's coast. An eyewall replacement cycle was changing its inner core, and the landfall circulation was considerably less intense than at the offshore peak. The archive places the center over land on April 11.
Agriculture bore the largest losses
The decline in strength before landfall helped keep structural damage to about A$8.4 million. Agricultural impacts were much greater, however, and total losses reached approximately A$1.1 billion. Ita's track continued after the Queensland encounter, with the tropical stage ending on April 13 and later positions extending into April 18.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ita in brief
What was Cyclone Ita's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Apr 10, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Ita?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Apr 10, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Ita's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Apr 10, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Cyclone Ita occur?
The archived track runs from Apr 2, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC to Apr 18, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Apr 2, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC to Apr 13, 2014, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Ita form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2014 season. Its first archived position is 10.6°S, 158.9°E on Apr 2, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Ita make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 104 mph on Apr 11, 2014, 12:00 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