SOUTH PACIFIC · 2005 SEASON
Cyclone Percy (2005)
Recorded track and intensity · 23 Feb 2005–5 Mar 2005
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161 mph / 259 km/h
2 Mar 2005 · tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Percy is listed in the South Pacific basin for the 2005 season. Its archived track begins on 23 Feb 2005, 00:00 UTC at 8.5°S, 172.8°E. US-agency wind is not available for this first observation. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.
The first Category 5 observation appears on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC at 15.7°S, 165.2°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 898 hPa on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC.
The full record spans 252 hours and approximately 5,380 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 26.2°S, 148°W on 5 Mar 2005, 12:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 5 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC.
QUICK ANSWERS
Percy in brief
What was Cyclone Percy’s highest wind speed?
140 kt (161 mph / 259 km/h), the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC.
What category was Cyclone Percy?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Percy’s lowest pressure?
898 hPa, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on 2 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC.
When did Cyclone Percy occur?
The archived track runs from 23 Feb 2005, 00:00 UTC to 5 Mar 2005, 12:00 UTC, with the tropical stage from 24 Feb 2005, 18:00 UTC to 5 Mar 2005, 00:00 UTC.
Where did Cyclone Percy form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2005 season. Its first archived position is 8.5°S, 172.8°E on 23 Feb 2005, 00:00 UTC.
Did Cyclone Percy make landfall?
No archived position places Cyclone Percy’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 · Field documentation
Sources & methodology