2005 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Percy 2005
Cyclone Percy struck South Pacific communities still recovering from several earlier storms in 2005. Tokelau and the Cook Islands suffered major damage during a track that included renewed strengthening after an initial peak.
Drag to pan. Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.
161 mph
Mar 2, 2005 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Two periods of rapid strengthening
Percy developed within the monsoon trough west of Tuvalu in late February. It moved east-southeast over warm water and strengthened as wind shear decreased. A blocking ridge then turned it south and distorted the circulation, briefly interrupting its growth.
The cyclone reorganized and intensified again, reaching maximum one-minute winds of 140 kt on March 2, equivalent to Category 5. Increasing wind shear then weakened Percy, which turned southeast and lost its tropical structure on March 5.
Another blow to recovering islands
Percy caused extensive destruction in Tokelau, leaving many residents homeless. It also battered the Cook Islands after Meena, Nancy and Olaf had already affected the archipelago. The saved account reports no deaths and only a few injuries, with advance warnings helping residents prepare for the storm.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Percy in brief
What was Cyclone Percy's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Mar 2, 2005, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Percy?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Mar 2, 2005, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Percy's lowest pressure?
898 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Mar 2, 2005, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Percy occur?
The archived track runs from Feb 23, 2005, 12:00 AM UTC to Mar 5, 2005, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Feb 24, 2005, 06:00 PM UTC to Mar 5, 2005, 12:00 AM 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 Feb 23, 2005, 12:00 AM 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 and Field documentation
Sources & methodology