Cyclone Lola (2023)

Severe Tropical Cyclone Lola is the strongest off-season tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere, surpassing the previous record held by Cyclone Xavier in 2006. The first tropical cyclone and severe tropical cyclone of the 2023–24 South Pacific cyclone season, Lola was first noted as an area of low pressure to the northeast of Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Over the next few days, the system gradually developed further, before it was classified as a tropical cyclone and named Lola by the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) on 22 October. Later that same day, Lola rapidly intensified into a Category 4 intensity was reached by 12:00 UTC that day, with Lola exhibiting maximum ten-minute sustained winds of . With convective rain bands wrapping into the circulation, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed Lola as having one-minute sustained winds of . At the same time, the FMS followed suit and upgraded the system to a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone. Over the next few days, the cyclone's weakening accelerated as it moved southwards before degenerated into a tropical depression on 26 October. Cyclone Lola was the third severe tropical cyclone to impact Vanuatu during 2023, after Cyclones Judy and Kevin had impacted the island nation earlier that year. The cyclone caused at least four deaths and left at least four injured.

Meteorological history

On 19 October, the Fiji Meteorological Service reported that Tropical Disturbance 01F had developed out of an area of low pressure, about to the northeast of Honiara in the Solomon Islands. At this time the system was located in an area favourable for further development, with warm sea-surface temperatures of and low to moderate vertical windshear. Over the next couple of days, the system gradually developed further as it moved south-westwards towards the Santa Cruz Islands, before it was classified as a tropical depression by the FMS on 21 October. Several hours later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA), after the system developed a partially exposed low-level circulation center. Over the next couple of days, the system gradually moved southwestward before the FMS classified it as a tropical depression. The convective structure improved considerably, and the JTWC initiated advisories on the system and classified it as ''Tropical Cyclone 01P'' at 21:00 UTC. The cyclone drifted southward until an upper-level ridge forced the storm to the south. The FMS subsequently named the system Lola at around 03:00 UTC on 22 October, after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.

Lola intensified into a Category 2 tropical cyclone twelve hours later, as fragmented banding that was wrapping broadly into the slowly consolidating central dense overcast (CDO). The JTWC upgraded Lola to a Category 1-equivalent cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS), with maximum one-sustained winds of . By early on 23 October, Lola had intensified into a Category 3 tropical cyclone, while the system's depiction showed that tightly wrapped convective banding was circulating around a ragged eye. Lola rapidly intensified into a Category 4 intensity was reached by 12:00 UTC that day, with Lola exhibiting maximum ten-minute sustained winds of .

At 0000 UTC on 24 October, the JTWC reported that Lola had peaked with 1-minute sustained winds estimated at , which made it equivalent to a category 4 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. At around the same time, the FMS estimated that Lola had peaked with 10-minute sustained winds of , which made it a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone. As a result, Lola become the earliest Category 5 tropical cyclone on record in the southern hemisphere. Lola's eye quickly disappeared, signaling a phase of rapid weakening. Rapidly weakened due to vertical wind shear, Lola made landfall in Sowan, at around 03:00 UTC on 25 October. The FMS and the JTWC reported that Lola's winds weakened to , for the weakening system tracked over the Malakula. During 26 October, Lola degenerated into a tropical depression, before it was last noted the next day and the JTWC issued their final advisory on the storm.

Lola's remnants passed near New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands during 27 October, before they were last noted later that day, as they moved out of the FMS area of responsibility and into New Zealand's area of responsibility monitored by MetService.

Impact

Vanuatu

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), a disaster relief and rescue plan agency, was activated in six provinces and prepared to conduct an immediate assessment following the cyclone. All government buildings, markets, and banks are closed until further notice in the capital city of Port Vila. On 23 October, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office (VNDMO) issued a yellow alert—indicating the threat of a tropical cyclone within 12 hours—for Penama and Sanma. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department also issued a tropical cyclone warning for these areas.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai took a Royal Australian Air Force to inspect the early damage. Additionally, the New Zealand, Australian, and French defense forces will provide further aid and assess damages. In Ambrym, two women, one of whom was pregnant, were reportedly killed. Damage across the nation were estimated to be 43.28 billion vatu (US$352 million).

Due to a communications breakdown on the islands, those reports were limited, but local officials told that homes, schools, and crops had been devastated by the central provinces of Penama and Malampa. Pentecost, Malakula, and Ambrym have been most severely affected; It is estimated that 50% of all homes there have suffered damage. UNICEF reported that Vanuatu requested support from the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The agency had emergency stockpiles in place across the country, including surveillance flight, shelter kits, tarpaulins. On 30 October, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that New Zealand would contribute NZ$450,000 in relief aid to Vanuatu; including NZ$350,000 to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and NZ$100,000 to the Vanuatu government.

Solomon Islands and New Zealand

The Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) reported that Cyclone Lola had severe impacts on Tikopia. Lola caused four people, including a young child, to suffer injuries; 116 homes, and one church were destroyed. Additionally, the phone tower has been damaged. The remnants of Cyclone Lola merged with a low-pressure system in the Tasman Sea before impacting northern areas of New Zealand on 30 October. Severe weather caused flooding and power cuts across the upper North Island, while strong winds damaged power lines and led to cancelled flights. A cruise ship bound for Auckland had to shelter near Rangitoto after the weather closed the port.

Retirement

Due to extensive damages caused by the cyclone in Vanuatu and New Caledonia, Lola was retired by the World Meteorological Organisation on August 5, 2024. It was replaced with the name ''Lute''

See also

* Weather of 2023
* Tropical cyclones in 2023
* Cyclone Xavier (2006) - another strong cyclone which formed in a similar region and timeframe
* Cyclone Donna (2017) - another strong cyclone which became the strongest off-season storm in the region at the time
* Cyclones Judy and Kevin (2023) - Pair of strong South Pacific cyclones that had affected Vanuatu earlier that year

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lola

October 2023 in Oceania
2023–24 South Pacific cyclone season
Category 5 South Pacific cyclones
Tropical cyclones in Vanuatu
Tropical cyclones in the Solomon Islands
Tropical cyclones in 2023
Off-season South Pacific tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones in New Caledonia