- Date:
- March 2015
- Location:
- Kiribati
- New Zealand
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
Cyclone Pam
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What is Cyclone Pam?
Cyclone Pam was a large and destructive tropical cyclone in the South Pacific Ocean that affected Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand in March 2015. It was classified as a category 5 storm for a time, and produced high winds, coastal storm surges, heavy rains, and flooding in the affected countries.
Cyclone Pam originated in the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands on March 6, 2015, and was designated "TD11F." It grew in size and strength, officially becoming a tropical depression on March 8 and a tropical cyclone on March 9. On March 13, as Pam approached the eastern shore of Éfaté (Vanuatu) with maximum sustained winds of 165 miles (270 km) per hour, it was reclassified as a category 5 cyclone.
The storm killed 16 people in Vanuatu and caused widespread damage, requiring immediate food aid for about 166,000 people. After striking Vanuatu, Pam continued southeasterly, bringing heavy rains and tropical-storm-force winds to parts of New Zealand’s North Island before dissipating.
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When and where did Cyclone Pam occur?
Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, occurred in the South Pacific Ocean in March 2015, affecting Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand. Originating near the Solomon Islands on March 6, it was recognized as a tropical cyclone on March 9 and intensified rapidly.
By March 12, Pam moved toward Éfaté, Vanuatu, and made landfall on March 13 with winds of 165 miles (270 km) per hour. After striking Vanuatu, it passed eastern New Zealand between March 15 and 17 before dissipating. The storm's lowest atmospheric pressure was recorded on March 14. Vanuatu was the worst hit, with 16 deaths and widespread damage, requiring food aid for about 166,000 people.
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How strong was Cyclone Pam compared to other storms?
Cyclone Pam was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone in the South Pacific Ocean in March 2015, impacting Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand. It reached category 5 status, with maximum sustained winds at landfall measuring 165 miles (270 km) per hour, ranking it among the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded.
By comparison, Cyclone Winston (February 2016) had sustained winds reaching 185 miles (300 km) per hour with a central pressure of 884 millibars, making it the most powerful tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere. Cyclone Pam's atmospheric pressure reached a low of 896 millibars.
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What areas were most affected by Cyclone Pam?
Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm in March 2015, significantly impacted several South Pacific countries. Vanuatu was the most affected, suffering widespread damage with 16 deaths and a need for immediate food aid for approximately 166,000 people. The storm damaged 50 to 90 percent of the buildings and denuded forestlands and croplands. Other areas impacted were Tuvalu, where 45 percent of the population was displaced, and Kiribati, where hundreds of homes were damaged. New Zealand's North Island and Chatham Islands also experienced heavy rains and tropical-storm-force winds.
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What were the main effects of Cyclone Pam on people and the environment?
Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm in March 2015, significantly impacted Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand. Vanuatu was the hardest hit, with 16 fatalities and widespread devastation. Approximately 50 to 90 percent of homes, schools, and businesses suffered damage, and forests and croplands were denuded.
166,000 people in Vanuatu required immediate food aid due to the loss of livestock, contaminated water sources, and destroyed vegetable gardens. In Tuvalu, 45 percent of the population was displaced due to storm surges and flooding, which also damaged homes and contaminated drinking water. Kiribati also experienced damage to homes and infrastructure, while New Zealand's North Island and Chatham Island faced shoreline flooding.
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How did countries and aid organizations respond after Cyclone Pam?
After Cyclone Pam struck in March 2015, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand faced significant damage to housing and infrastructure. Vanuatu was the hardest hit, with widespread destruction affecting homes, schools, and businesses.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, working with Vanuatu's government, estimated that 166,000 people across 22 islands urgently needed food aid because the storm killed much of the country’s livestock. Many water sources were contaminated, and household vegetable gardens were wiped out.
Tuvalu declared a state of emergency, reporting that 45 percent of its population was displaced due to storm surges and flooding, which damaged homes and contaminated drinking water. Kiribati also suffered damage to homes and infrastructure, while New Zealand experienced shoreline flooding.
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Cyclone Pam, large and destructive tropical cyclone in the South Pacific Ocean that affected Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand during March 2015. Cyclone Pam produced high winds, coastal storm surges, heavy rains, and flooding in the affected countries and was classified for a time as a category 5 storm. Worst hit by far was Vanuatu, where the storm killed 16 people and caused widespread damage. About 166,000 people required immediate food aid. With maximum sustained winds at landfall that measured 165 miles (270 km) per hour, Pam was among the most-powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded.
The storm
Cyclone Pam originated in the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands. It was given the designation “TD11F” by the Fiji Meteorological Service on March 6, 2015. Pam continued to grow in size and strength over the next few days, becoming officially recognized as a tropical depression on March 8 and maturing into a tropical cyclone at 5:00 pm local time (7:00 pm New Zealand Daylight Time) on March 9. The tropical cyclone made its way southward between Vanuatu and Fiji and continued to intensify, growing into a category 2 storm on March 10 and a category 4 storm by the early morning of March 12.
By the morning of March 12, Pam had turned south-southwest on a path toward the island of Éfaté, on which is Port-Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. During the early hours of March 13, as Pam approached the eastern shore of Éfaté with maximum sustained winds of 165 miles (270 km) per hour, it was reclassified as a category 5 cyclone by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Pam made landfall on Éfaté at 7:05 pm local time. The cyclone then turned southward, passing the islands of Erromango and Tanna in the early hours of March 14, and its winds later fell to 95–111 miles (about 153–179 km) per hour.
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After striking Vanuatu, Pam continued southeasterly and declined in intensity. The weakened tropical cyclone passed the eastern part of New Zealand’s North Island between March 15 and 17, bringing heavy rains and tropical-storm-force winds to some parts of North Island’s coast, as well as to the Chatham Islands, before dissipating.
Measurements from aircraft revealed that Cyclone Pam’s atmospheric pressure reached its lowest point (a condition that typically indicates the strongest winds) by 1 pm on March 14, declining to 896 millibars. Satellite data analysis, however, suggested that Cyclone Pam’s central pressure may have fallen as low as 879 millibars at that time.
Destruction and aftermath
Pam damaged housing and infrastructure in Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and New Zealand. Vanuatu was hit hardest. Humanitarian organizations reported that some 50 to 90 percent of all homes, schools, churches, places of business, and other structures in the country suffered some damage from the storm, and winds and water had denuded many of the country’s forestlands and croplands. Shortly after the storm’s passing, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in conjunction with the government of Vanuatu, estimated that 166,000 people spread across 22 islands needed immediate food aid, since much of the country’s livestock and poultry had been killed. In addition, many of Vanuatu’s water sources were contaminated, and most household vegetable gardens, upon which much of the population depends for food, had been wiped out. Few people, however, lost their lives as a direct result of the storm. As of late March 2015, the government of Vanuatu reported 11 deaths, whereas the United Nations attributed 16 deaths to the storm. No storm-related deaths were reported in other countries.
Other countries in the region were significantly damaged but fared better than Vanuatu. Shortly after the storm passed over Tuvalu, the country’s prime minister, Enele Sopoaga, declared a state of emergency, noting that 45 percent of Tuvalu’s 9,900 people were displaced by the storm, many because of storm surges and flooding, which damaged homes, contaminated drinking water, and killed livestock. The storm also damaged hundreds of homes in Kiribati, especially on the islands of Arorae and Tamana, and damaged the primary causeway in the Tarawa Atoll connecting Betio island with Bairiki. Flooding also damaged shorelines along New Zealand’s North Island and on Chatham Island.
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