Cyclones in Papua New Guinea
Cyclones only occur occasionally in Papua New Guinea. On average, they happen about 3 times a year. The hardest hit regions are Bougainville and Western Province.The typical cyclone season depends on the summer monsoon. In the months before (May to June) and after (October to November), the most severe storms occur.
Papua New Guinea has certainly been affected by the foothills of several cyclones, but during the past 12 months no cyclone reached the inhabited areas on land.
Other natural hazards in Papua New Guinea:
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Back to overview: Papua New Guinea
Current satellite image of the southwest Pacific Ocean
06.02.2023 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent cyclones in Papua New Guinea since 2018
Tiffany: January 9-15, 2022
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 120 km/h
Diameter:
max. 93 km
Air pressure:
below 986 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On January 9th, 2022 at 4:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 510 km south of Port Moresby in Gulf Coast.
Niran: March 1-7, 2021
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 256 km/h
Diameter:
max. 222 km
Eye:
max. 74 km
Air pressure:
below 917 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On March 4th, 2021 at 10:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 533 km south of Samarai in Milne Bay.
Lucas: January 31 to February 4, 2021
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 119 km/h
Diameter:
max. 222 km
Air pressure:
below 980 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On January 31st, 2021 at 10:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 406 km southwest of Samarai in Milne Bay.
Kimi: January 17-19, 2021
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 100 km/h
Diameter:
max. 111 km
Air pressure:
below 990 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On January 17th, 2021 at 10:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 681 km southeast of Samarai in Milne Bay.
Harold: April 1-11, 2020
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 278 km/h
on land:
max. 69 km/h
Diameter:
max. 3741 km
Air pressure:
below 903 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
Affected regions
Bougainville
Bougainville
Esther: February 22 to March 1, 2020
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 93 km/h
Diameter:
max. 204 km
Air pressure:
below 992 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On February 22nd, 2020 at 4:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 638 km southeast of Morehead in Western Province.
Claudia: January 4-19, 2020
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 152 km/h
on land:
max. 46 km/h
Diameter:
max. 3748 km
Air pressure:
below 963 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Western Province
Western Province
Ann: May 10-18, 2019
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 111 km/h
Diameter:
max. 204 km
Air pressure:
below 989 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On May 15th, 2019 at 10:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 395 km south of Morehead in Western Province.
Trevor: March 14-25, 2019
Region:
Eastern Australia
Wind speed:
max. 204 km/h
Diameter:
max. 167 km
Eye:
max. 37 km
Air pressure:
below 948 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 3
The cyclone did not make direct landfall. On March 16th, 2019 at 1:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 114 km northeast of Alotau in Milne Bay.
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.
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