An overview of the present climate in the tropical South Pacific Islands, with an outlook for the coming months, to assist in dissemination of climate information in the Pacific region.
Number 53 – February 2005
January’s climate: South Pacific Convergence Zone extended from Papua New Guinea southeast to Tokelau. Enhanced convergence in the west, suppressed convection in the east. Warmer than usual temperatures throughout much of the Southwest Pacific. Four tropical cyclones to date this season – Judy, Kerry, Lola, and Meena.
ENSO and sea surface temperatures (SST): El Niño conditions eased during January 2005 and are likely to return to normal by mid 2005. Enhanced convection over Western and Eastern Kiribati and Tokelau. Below average rainfall over the Marquesas Islands.
Forecast validation: How well are we doing with our predictions?
Tropical rainfall outlook: February to April 2005.
Feature article: The Southwest Pacific Climate in 2004.
Tropical Pacific rainfall: January 2005.
Sources of South Pacific rainfall data.
A complete copy of The Island Climate Update is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. This does not contain any extra information over that obtained by clicking on the individual items above.
To view the PDF file, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free from Adobe.