The 2025âÂÂ26 South Pacific cyclone season includes the basin's latest-ever first named tropical cyclone, Urmil, breaking the record set by Tropical Cyclone Bart during the 2016-17 season. Despite this, it is an ongoing cyclone season in the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160ðE. The season officially started on 1 November 2025, and will end on 30 April 2026; however a tropical cyclone could form at any time between 1 July 2025, and 30 June 2026, and would count towards the season total. During the season, tropical cyclones will be officially monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and New Zealand's MetService. The United States Armed Forces through the Joint Typhoon Warning Center <small>(JTWC)</small> will also monitor the basin and issue unofficial warnings for American interests. The FMS attaches a number and an F suffix to tropical disturbances that form in or move into the basin while the JTWC designates significant tropical cyclones with a number and a P suffix. The BoM, FMS and MetService all use the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale and estimate windspeeds with a period of approximately ten minutes, while the JTWC estimates sustained winds over a 1-minute period, which are subsequently compared to the SaffirâÂÂSimpson hurricane wind scale <small>(SSHWS)</small>.
Ahead of the season officially starting on 1 November, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) and Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ), both issued a tropical cyclone outlook that discussed the upcoming season. These outlooks took into account a variety of factors such as a developing weak to moderate La Niña event and what had happened in previous seasons such as 1980âÂÂ81, 1983âÂÂ84, 1984âÂÂ85, 1995âÂÂ96, 2000âÂÂ01, 2001âÂÂ02, 2003âÂÂ04, 2005âÂÂ06, 2008âÂÂ09, 2011âÂÂ12, 2012âÂÂ13, 2016âÂÂ17, 2017âÂÂ18, 2020âÂÂ21 and 2021âÂÂ22. The Southwest Pacific tropical cyclone outlook issued by Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ) in conjunction with MetService and various other Pacific meteorological services, predicted that five to nine tropical cyclones would occur over the South Pacific Ocean between 135ðE and 120ðW. The outlook also predicted that two to four of these tropical cyclones would intensify further and become either a Category three, four or five severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. In addition to contributing towards the Southwest Pacific tropical cyclone outlook, the FMS predicted that four or five tropical cyclones would occur within the basin, while one to three of these tropical cyclones were expected to intensify further and become either a category three, four or five severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale.
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</div> The first tropical disturbance of the season developed during December 2. However, over the next few months, no named tropical cyclones developed. This was attributed to a number of factors, including a poorly organised South Pacific convergence zone and a predicted La Niña episode not developing. Four months after the beginning of the season, the first named storm, Urmil, developed on February 27, becoming the latest-forming first named tropical cyclone of a season within the South Pacific basin, breaking the record set by Tropical Cyclone Bart during the 2016-17 season.
On 2 December, a subtropical cyclone formed and was tracked by JTWC and tracked southeastward. Due to an unfavorable environment, the storm degenerated and then dissipated without being named 2 days later.
On 5 December, JTWC started monitoring Tropical Cyclone 06P, embedded within the South Pacific Convergence Zone, 216 nmi north of Papeete, Tahiti. The cyclone was extremely compact and had rapidly consolidated over the preceding 24 hours. Later that day, FMS identified the cyclone as Tropical Disturbance 02F and noted the potential for strengthening in a favorable environment with low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures. 02F was upgraded to a tropical depression by FMS on late night of 5 December, but the system quickly came under the influence of moderate shear which exposed the system's low-level circulation center. JTWC ceased warnings later that day and downgraded the cyclone to a subtropical depression. The depression was last noted on 6 December, as the sheared system accelerated southeastward.
Tropical Depression 03F was designated just east of the Solomon Islands by the Fiji Meteorological Service on 10 December.
Tropical Disturbance 04F developed north of Samoa on 28 December.
Tropical Low 14U entered the South Pacific basin from the Australian region late on the night of 19 January. It was designated Tropical Disturbance 05F by the Fiji Meteorological Service upon crossover. On 21 January, the system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and had severe impacts in northern New Zealand. MetService issued Red Warnings for heavy rainfall in some regions of the North Island. Nine people are confirmed or presumed dead.
In January 20, a tropical low that developed within the South Pacific Convergence Zone in mid-January 2026. On January 21, at 06:00 UTC, the (JTWC) began monitoring the system as a tropical disturbance, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 16P. At this time, the system was located near the boundary between the Australian region and the South Fiji basin, characterized by favorable upper-level outflow and warm sea surface temperatures. Later that day, the Fiji Meteorological Service assumed primary responsibility for the system as it crossed into their Area of Responsibility.
The Fiji Meteorological Service officially designated the system as Tropical Depression 06F. During its peak intensity, with estimated 1-minute sustained winds of 75 km/h (45 mph). Concurrently, recorded a minimum barometric pressure of 994 hPa (29.35 inHg).
By early January 22, increasing vertical wind shear from the northwest began to decouple the system's low-level circulation from its deep convection. This hostile environment caused the depression to rapidly lose organization. On January 22, the FMS issued its final advisory, noting that 06F had degenerated into a post-tropical remnant low.
The remnants of Tropical Low 17U from the Australian Region entered the South Pacific basin on 27 January. The system was classified as Tropical Disturbance 07F by the Fiji Meteorological Service, and began strengthening shortly after its crossover, becoming a tropical depression. On 28 January, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated advisories on the system, designating it 18P. The cyclone began rapidly organizing as it dove southward, and the JTWC estimated it had a peak intensity of 65 mph (105 km/h), and a minimum pressure of 988 milibars early on 29 January. After the fact, the cyclone begun to move over cooler waters, and promptly began its extratropical transition. The system was last noted on 30 January, just to the northeast of Norfolk Island.
On 31 January, the FMS began monitoring a system southeast of Fiji, later designating it as Tropical Disturbance 08F. As a short-lived tropical cyclone, the system quickly moved northbound, and dissipated by 31 January.
On 25 February, the Fiji Meteorological Service began tracking Tropical Disturbance 09F, followed by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issuing warnings on Tropical Cyclone 23P a day later. On 27 February after continued organization from the system, the Fiji Meteorological Service upgraded 09F to Tropical Cyclone Urmil, ending a 319 day long period in the basin without a named storm, and set the record for the latest first named tropical cyclone during a season in the South Pacific, beating the former record set by Tropical Cyclone Bart in 2017 which was named on 21 February. By February 28, Urmil peaked as a Category 2 Cyclone on the Australian scale and Category 1 on the SSHWS. It quickly lost that status as it continued southeastwards whilst weakening. Extratropical transition ensued, and Urmil was last noted on 2 March, approximately a thousand kilometers northeast of East Cape, New Zealand.
Outer rainbands and strong winds associated with Urmil impacted Fiji. A child drowned in Namoli at Kaleli Settlement.
On 21 March at 21:00 UTC, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) designated Tropical Disturbance 10F and stated that the potential for a tropical cyclone is low in the next 48 hours. 10F was located in a favourable environment with low wind shear and good poleward outflow. On 22 March at 02:30 UTC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert, citing that there is convective banding developing around the low-level circulation, while the system was located south of Honiara, Solomon Islands. The storm encountered warm sea surface temperatures of 28-29ðC and strong poleward outflow. On 23 March at 03:00 UTC, the JTWC designated Tropical Storm 28P based on a 22 March 22:51 UTC ASCAT-C pass revealing winds of 35 mph-40 mph (55 km/h-65 km/h) in the eastern quadrant. Later that day at 20:00 UTC, the FMS increased the winds to 45 kt (85 km/h) and the pressure to . On 24 March at 03:00 UTC, the JTWC issued its final warning as the system headed into the baroclinic zone and cooler sea surface temperatures of 24ðC.
Within the Southern Pacific, a tropical depression is judged to have reached tropical cyclone intensity should it reach winds of and it is evident that gales are occurring at least halfway around the center. Tropical depressions intensifying into a tropical cyclone between the Equator and 25ðS and between 160ðE and 120ðW are named by the FMS; should a tropical depression intensify to the south of 25ðS between 160ðE and 120ðW it will be named in conjunction with the FMS by MetService. Should a tropical cyclone move out of the basin and into the Australian region it will retain its original name. The names that will be used for the 2025âÂÂ26 season are listed below: The names from Urmil to Becky, as well as Elisa, are from the same list used for tropical cyclones in the 2005âÂÂ06, 2006âÂÂ07, and 2007âÂÂ08 seasons.
This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific to the east of longitude 160ðE during the 2025âÂÂ26 season. It includes their intensity on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages. All data is taken from RSMC Nadi and/or TCWC Wellington, and all of the damage figures are in 2025 or 2026 USD.
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