2021 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Yasa 2020
Recorded track and intensity from Dec 11, 2020 to Dec 21, 2020
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161 mph
Dec 16, 2020 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Yasa is listed in the South Pacific basin for the 2021 season. Its archived track begins on Dec 11, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC at 12.9°S, 168.4°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 23 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 Dec 15, 2020, 09:00 PM UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 161 mph, first recorded on Dec 16, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC at 14.7°S, 174.3°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 914 hPa on Dec 16, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC.
The full record spans 240 hours and approximately 1,850 mi along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 25.2°S, 179.4°W on Dec 21, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on Dec 20, 2020, 03:00 AM UTC.
QUICK ANSWERS
Yasa in brief
What was Cyclone Yasa's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Dec 16, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Yasa?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Dec 15, 2020, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Yasa's lowest pressure?
914 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Dec 16, 2020, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Yasa occur?
The archived track runs from Dec 11, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC to Dec 21, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Dec 11, 2020, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 20, 2020, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Yasa form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2021 season. Its first archived position is 12.9°S, 168.4°E on Dec 11, 2020, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Yasa make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 129 mph on Dec 17, 2020, 07:00 AM 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