SOUTH PACIFIC · 2016 SEASON
Cyclone Winston (2016)
Recorded track and intensity · 9 Feb 2016–28 Feb 2016
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Wind speed & pressure
20 Feb, 06:00 UTCForward speed & ACE
20 Feb, 06:00 UTCHover or tap either graph to follow the track. The slider controls both graphs. Each line uses its matching colored axis.
Forward speed measures the center’s motion. ACE accumulates squared one-minute winds at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC during tropical or subtropical stages at 34 kt or above. Missing observations make ACE partial. Missing measurements remain gaps.
178 mph / 287 km/h
20 Feb 2016 · tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Winston is listed in the South Pacific basin for the 2016 season. Its archived track begins on 9 Feb 2016, 18:00 UTC at 13.6°S, 169.5°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 20 knots. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.
The first Category 5 observation appears on 20 Feb 2016, 00:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 155 knots (178 mph / 287 km/h), first recorded on 20 Feb 2016, 06:00 UTC at 17.4°S, 178.7°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 907 hPa on 20 Feb 2016, 06:00 UTC.
The full record spans 450 hours and approximately 5,890 kilometers along the recorded center positions. Gaps longer than 12 hours are excluded, so this distance is partial. The last recorded position is 22.5°S, 156.3°E on 28 Feb 2016, 12:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 24 Feb 2016, 15:00 UTC.
This summary is calculated from the NOAA IBTrACS archive. Category 5 describes the storm’s peak recorded wind intensity, not its intensity at landfall or the severity of impacts at any location. Landfall times, damage and casualties have not been independently reviewed for this page.
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 excluded gaps, so its distance is partial. 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