Tropical cyclones are non-frontal, low-pressure systems that develop, within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures and little vertical wind shear aloft. Within the South Pacific, names are assigned from a pre-determined list, to such systems, once they reach or exceed ten-minute sustained wind speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph), near the center, by either the Fiji Meteorological Service or New Zealand's MetService. Within the South Pacific, tropical cyclones have been officially named since the 1964âÂÂ65 South Pacific cyclone season, though a few meteorological papers show that a few tropical cyclones were named before 1964âÂÂ65. The names of significant tropical cyclones that have caused a high amount of damage and/or caused a significant number of deaths are retired from the lists of tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization's RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee at their bi-annual meeting.
Within the South Pacific, there have been a total of 117 tropical cyclone names retired. The most intense tropical cyclone to have its name retired was Winston, which had an estimated peak pressure of . The deadliest tropical cyclone to have its name retired was Severe Tropical Cyclone Namu, which caused over 100 deaths, when it affected the Solomon Islands in May 1986. The most damaging system was Yasi which caused over in damage to Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Australia in January and February 2011.
Within the region the credit for the first usage of personal names for weather systems, is generally given to the Queensland Government Meteorologist Clement Wragge, who named systems between 1887 and 1907. Wragge used names drawn from the letters of the Greek alphabet, Greek and Roman mythology and female names, to describe weather systems over Australia, New Zealand and the Antarctic. After the new Australian government had failed to create a federal weather bureau and appoint him director, Wragge started naming cyclones after political figures.
During the 1963âÂÂ64 cyclone season the Australian Bureau of Meteorology started to use female names for tropical cyclones that occurred within the Australian region, before the New Zealand Meteorological Service's Fiji office also started using female names for tropical cyclones within the South Pacific during the 1969âÂÂ70 cyclone season. During the International Women's Year of 1975 the NZMS decided to incorporate male names into the naming lists for the South Pacific, following a request from the Fiji National Council of Women who considered the practice discrimination. At around the same time the Australian Science Minister ordered that tropical cyclones, within the Australian region should carry both men's and women's names. This was because the minister thought "that both sexes should bear the odium of the devastation caused by cyclones." As a result, male names were added to the lists of names for both basins, ahead of the 1975âÂÂ76 season.
During the latter stages of World War II, forecasters with the United States Armed Forces started naming tropical cyclones over the Pacific Ocean after their wives and sweethearts. In 1945, after the practice had became popular among forecasters who found that it reduced confusion during map discussions, the Armed Forces formalized the scheme and began publicly assigning female names to tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere and male names to those in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the next few years, the practice gradually fell into disuse in the Southern Hemisphere, before it was revived by the Meteorological Service of New Caledonia during the 1958-59 season. In November 1962, New Caledonia proposed to the Third Session of the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Association V that all tropical cyclones that occurred within the region should be identified with female names. In response, other members of the Association suggested using male names to avoid any confusion with the names used in the Northern Hemisphere, but noted that any naming scheme would require close coordination in order to avoid causing confusion. Ultimately, the Association decided that there was no need for a regional naming scheme to be introduced to the south of the Equator; however, it had no objections to members using such schemes on a national basis provided that the same names were not allocated in neighboring regions to different cyclones.
In October 1963, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology announced that its three tropical cyclone warning centres in Perth, Darwin and Brisbane, would start using female names to name tropical cyclones during the upcoming season. At the time, the New Zealand Meteorological Service
In 1979, the NZMS considered adding traditional Pacific names to the naming lists, rather than relying solely on European names, which prompted considerable discussion due to the anticipated difficulties of navigating the region's many languages and cultures. One proposal was that cyclones should be given names from the country nearest to where they formed; however, this proposal was abandoned when it was realised that a cyclone might be less destructive in its formative stage than later in its development. Eventually, it was decided to pool names from across the South Pacific during a training course, where each course member provided a list of names that were short, easily pronounced, culturally acceptable throughout the region and free of idiosyncrasies. These names were then collated, edited for suitability and cross-checked with the group for acceptability to create four alphabetical lists of names, which have been used by the Fiji Meteorological Service since the 1980âÂÂ81 season.
|- | Rosie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand || || || |- | Vivienne || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || || || |- | Carlotta || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, New Caledonia<br />Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Wendy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Agatha || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || Unknown || || |- | Bebe || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tuvalu || || || |- | Lottie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Tina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Alison || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, New Zealand<br />Vanuatu || || || |- | David || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || N/A || || |- | Elsa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || || || |- | Marion || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Robert || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || Unknown || || |- | Bob || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| ||Fiji, New Caledonia<br />Vanuatu, New Zealand || || || |- | Charles || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Samoan Islands || Unknown || || |- | Diana || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || Unknown || || |- | Fay || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Gordon || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, New Caledonia<br />Vanuatu || || || |- | Kerry || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, Solomon Islands || Unknown || || |- | Meli || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Wally || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Tahmar || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || Unknown || || |- | Gyan || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Isaac || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Tonga || || || |- | Joti || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Lisa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || Unknown || || |- | Mark || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || Unknown || || |- | Oscar || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Veena || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || Unknown || || |- | Eric || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Vanuatu || || || |- | Ima || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || Unknown || || |- | Namu || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands || || || |- | Raja || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu<br />Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Sally || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || || || |- | Tusi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa || || || |- | Uma || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Anne || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || || || |- | Bola || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, New Zealand, Vanuatu || || || |- | Harry || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia || Unknown || || |- | Lili || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Solomon Islands<br />Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Ofa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Niue, Samoa<br />Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu || || || |- | Peni || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || || || |- | Sina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Niue, Cook Islands, Tonga || || || |- | Tia || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || || || |- | Val || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Cook Islands<br />Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau<br />Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Wasa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || || || |- | Betsy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Esau || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Fran || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, New Caledonia, Queensland<br />Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Joni || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tuvalu || || || |- | Kina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Prema || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || || || |- | Rewa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, New Zealand<br />Papua New Guinea, Queensland<br />Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | William || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || || || |- | Beti || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, New Caledonia<br />New Zealand, Vanuatu || || || |- | Drena || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, New Zealand<br />Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Gavin || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Hina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu<br />Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Keli || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Tuvulu, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Martin || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || || || |- | Osea || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || Unknown || || |- | Ron || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| Niue, Tokelau, Tonga || || || |- | Susan || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || || || |- | Tui || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Samoan islands || || || |- | Ursula || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || || || |- | Veli || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || || || |- | Cora || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Tonga || || || |- | Dani || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu || || || |- | Frank || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia || Unknown || || |- | Kim || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || French Polynesia || || || |- | Paula || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu || || || |- | Sose || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Trina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || || || |- | Waka || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Tonga, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Zoe || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || || || |- | Ami || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu || || || |- | Beni || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, New Caledonia<br />Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || || || |- | Cilla || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Tonga || Unknown || || |- | Eseta || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, ûEua || Unknown || || |- | Heta || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Niue, Samoa<br />Tonga, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Ivy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Meena || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || || || |- | Nancy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || || || |- | Olaf || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Cook Islands<br />Samoa || || || |- | Percy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Cook Islands<br />Samoa, Tokelau || || || |- | Cliff || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Daman || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Funa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Gene || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Mick || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || || |- | Oli || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || || || |- | Pat || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || || || |- | Tomas || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Wallis and Futuna, Fiji || || || |- | Ului || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, Solomon Islands<br />Vanuatu || || || |- | Vania || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || || || |- | Wilma || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Fiji, Samoa<br />Tonga, New Zealand || || || |- | Yasi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea<br />Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu || || || |- | Atu || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Evan || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa<br />Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Freda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, New Caledonia || Unknown || || |- | Ian || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Lusi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, New Caledonia<br />New Zealand, Vanuatu || || || |- | Pam || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia<br />New Zealand, Solomon Islands<br />Tuvalu, Vanuatu || || || |- | Ula || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || American Samoa, Fiji<br />New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga<br />Tuvalu, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Winston || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Niue, Tonga, Vanuatu || || || |- | Cook || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand || Moderate || || |- | Donna || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji<br />New Caledonia, New Zealand || Significant || 2 || |- | Gita || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa<br />American Samoa, Niue, Tonga<br />New Caledonia, New Zealand || || || |- | Josie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga || || 6 || |- | Keni || || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga || || None || |- | Pola || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, Tonga || || || |- | Sarai || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands|| || 2 || |- | Tino || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji, Niue, Solomon Islands<br />Samoan Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu || || || |- | Yasa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, Fiji || || || |- | Ana || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || 1 || |- | Cody || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || || 1 || |- | Judy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || None || |- | Kevin || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu || || None || |- | Lola || October 19 - 27, 2023 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand || Unknown || 4 || |-
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|-class="sortbottom" ! colspan=6| !! !! !!
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