Tropical Cyclone Rae was a moderately strong

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

that impacted

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

in February 2025. The second named storm of the

2024–25 South Pacific cyclone season The 2024–25 South Pacific cyclone season was one of the least active seasons on record within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E, seeing four named storms forming, none of which intensified into severe tropical cyclones, the first su ...

, Rae originated from a

low-pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with incle ...

that developed north of Fiji on 20 February. The disturbance moved slowly east-southeast over the next several days, organizing under favourable environmental conditions. It was designated as a tropical depression on 22 February as it turned southward. The system attained Category 1 strength on the next day and was assigned the name ''Rae''. It then passed over the

Lau Islands The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited. T ...

on 24 February, after which it attained a peak intensity as a high-end Category 2 cyclone. Shortly thereafter, unfavorable conditions caused Rae to steadily weaken, and the cyclone dissipated on 26 February.

Meteorological history

On 20 February, the

Fiji Meteorological Service The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) is a Department of the government of Fiji responsible for providing weather forecasts and is based on the grounds of Nadi Airport in Nadi. The current director of Fiji Meteorological Service is Misaeli Funak ...

(FMS) noted a

formed north of

. The system moved slowly to east-southeast and gradually organized. On 22 February, the FMS classified it as a tropical depression and designated as ''09F'' about northeast of Cikobia-i-Ra. The system gradually strengthened as benefited from

sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...

of , low

wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...

and good upper divergence. It turned southward as steered by a near-equatorial

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

. Deep

convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...

began to wrap inside the center, and the FMS upgraded the disturbance to a Category 1 tropical cyclone at 06:00 UTC on 23 February, and assigned the name ''Rae'' to the system. Environmental conditions favoured additional strengthening, and Rae attained Category 2 status just six hours later. Rae continued to move southward and passed just east of

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced , , ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonic ...

later that day. Rae passed over the

early on 24 February. Despite deep convection developed and wrapping into the center, the center became elongated. Nonetheless, Rae still attained peak intensity with sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) and a minumum pressure of , just shy of severe tropical cyclone status. At that time, an

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

-like feature displayed on

satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...

. Shortly afterwards, wind shear increased and the center became partly exposed. Sea surface temperature also dropped to , resulted in steadily weakening. Rae dropped to Category 1 strength at 12:00 UTC on 26 February, and the cyclone began to curve south-southeast as situated at the western edge of a subtropical ridge. On 26 February, Rae transitioned into a

post-tropical cyclone A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...

after passing Lau Islands near Fiji. Tropical Cyclone Report for Rae from RSMC Nadi in February 2025.

Preparations and impact

As Rae was forecasted to become a severe tropical cyclone, Moala Islands was placed under a hurricane warning, while the eastern part of

was placed under a gale warning. A heavy rain warning was issued for the entire

. Schools in the Lau Islands,

Lomaiviti Islands The Lomaiviti (pronounced ) archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of , and had a population of 15,657 at the most recent census in 2017. The largest town, with a population of 1, ...

, and Vanua Levu were closed on February 24. Domestic flights of

Fiji Link Fiji Link is the trade name for Fiji Airlines Limited, which is a Fijian domestic airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of the international carrier Fiji Airways. It is headquartered at the Fiji Link office in the Civil Aviation Authority of Fi ...

were cancelled. The warnings were lifted as Rae moved away from the country. In

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, a tropical cyclone warning was placed under

Niuafoʻou Niuafoou (meaning 'many new coconuts') is the northernmost island in the kingdom of Tonga. One of the Niua Islands, it is located in the southern Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa, north of Tongatapu island group and northwest of Vavaʻu. It ...

and

Niuatoputapu Niuatoputapu (''The Sacred Niua'') is a volcanic island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its highest point is , and its area is . Its name means ''sacred island''. Older names for the island are Traitors Island or Keppel Island. ...

, while a tropical cyclone watch was placed under

Vavaʻu Vavau is an island group, consisting of one large island (ʻUtu Vavaʻu) and 40 smaller ones, in Tonga. It is part of Administrative divisions of Tonga, Vavaʻu District, which includes several other individual islands. According to tradition, ...

and

Haʻapai Haʻapai is a group of islands, islets, reefs, and shoals in the central part of Tonga. It has a combined land area of . The Tongatapu island group lies to its south, and the Vavaʻu group lies to its north. Seventeen of the Haʻapai islands are ...

. A heavy rain warning and flash flood advisory was issued for the entire Tonga. Passing just east of Vanua Levu, Rae brought heavy rains to the island and triggered flooding. Crops and farm were damaged by strong winds and floodwaters. The authority was still investigating the damage on the island. In

Sawana Sawana is a village on the Fijian island of Vanua Balavu, in the LauThe People of the Sea: Environment, Identity, And History in Oceania, By Paul D'Arcy, University of Hawaii Press archipelago and is part of the '' Tikina'' of Lomaloma. Saw ...

, a lot of trees were uprooted by strong winds and blocked roads on

Vanua Balavu Vanua Balavu (pronounced ) is the third largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago, and the main island of the Northern Lau Group. Geography and infrastructure This coral and volcanic island has a land area of . Its maximum elevation is . The isl ...

. Farms were destroyed and the village was suffered from food and water shortage. Five families were sheltered in a school. The damage in the village was the most serious since Winston in 2016.

References

External links

{{2024–25 South Pacific cyclone season buttons 2024–25 South Pacific cyclone season 2025 in Fiji Tropical cyclones in Fiji Tropical cyclones in Tonga February 2025 in Oceania Category 2 South Pacific cyclones February 2025 in Fiji

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References

External links