Cyclone Susan (1998)
Cyclone Susan reached Category 5 in the South Pacific between December 20, 1997 and January 10, 1998, with a lowest pressure of 900 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Susan, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1998 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- South Pacific
- Dates
- December 20, 1997 to January 10, 1998
- Peak strength
- Category 5, 140 kt (161 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 900 mb (26.58 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 256 km (159 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 34.2
- Fastest the center moved
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Identifier
- SH111998
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads carries a casualty or damage figure for this storm.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 12:00 | 5.3S 171.3W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 20, 18:00 | 6.1S 171.4W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 21, 00:00 | 6.9S 171.7W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 21, 06:00 | 8.1S 172.1W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 21, 12:00 | 9.2S 172.4W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 21, 18:00 | 9.8S 172.8W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 22, 00:00 | 10.4S 173.6W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 22, 06:00 | 10.7S 174.3W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 22, 12:00 | 10.9S 174.8W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 22, 18:00 | 11.2S 174.9W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 23, 00:00 | 11.5S 175.0W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 23, 06:00 | 11.8S 175.0W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 23, 12:00 | 12.1S 175.2W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 23, 18:00 | 12.2S 175.4W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 24, 00:00 | 12.2S 175.7W | 20 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 24, 06:00 | 12.0S 175.8W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 24, 12:00 | 12.1S 176.1W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 24, 18:00 | 12.2S 176.3W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 25, 00:00 | 12.2S 176.5W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 25, 06:00 | 12.2S 176.7W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 25, 12:00 | 12.2S 176.9W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 25, 18:00 | 12.2S 177.1W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 26, 00:00 | 12.2S 177.6W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 26, 06:00 | 12.2S 177.9W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 26, 12:00 | 12.2S 178.1W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 26, 18:00 | 12.1S 178.4W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 27, 00:00 | 12.0S 178.7W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 27, 06:00 | 11.9S 179.0W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 27, 12:00 | 11.8S 179.4W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 27, 18:00 | 11.8S 180.0W | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 28, 00:00 | 11.8S 179.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 28, 06:00 | 11.8S 178.9E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 28, 12:00 | 11.9S 178.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 28, 18:00 | 12.1S 177.8E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 29, 00:00 | 12.4S 177.2E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 29, 06:00 | 12.7S 176.5E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 29, 12:00 | 13.0S 175.9E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 29, 18:00 | 13.2S 175.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 30, 00:00 | 13.5S 175.0E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 30, 06:00 | 13.4S 174.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 30, 12:00 | 13.0S 174.1E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 30, 18:00 | 12.6S 173.9E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 31, 00:00 | 12.2S 173.8E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 31, 06:00 | 11.8S 173.9E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 31, 12:00 | 11.6S 174.0E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Dec 31, 18:00 | 11.5S 174.1E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 1, 00:00 | 11.5S 174.2E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 1, 06:00 | 11.5S 174.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 1, 12:00 | 11.5S 174.6E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 1, 18:00 | 11.6S 174.8E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 2, 00:00 | 11.8S 175.0E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 2, 06:00 | 12.1S 175.1E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 2, 12:00 | 12.3S 174.7E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 2, 18:00 | 12.4S 174.1E | 30 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 3, 00:00 | 12.4S 173.5E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 3, 06:00 | 12.5S 172.8E | 45 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 3, 12:00 | 12.7S 172.3E | 50 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 3, 18:00 | 12.9S 171.8E | 60 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 4, 00:00 | 13.0S 171.4E | 75 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 4, 06:00 | 13.1S 171.0E | 95 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 4, 12:00 | 13.4S 170.7E | 115 kt | 940 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 4, 18:00 | 13.8S 170.4E | 120 kt | 925 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 5, 00:00 | 14.1S 170.2E | 130 kt | 910 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 5, 06:00 | 14.4S 170.0E | 140 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 5, 12:00 | 14.8S 169.8E | 140 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 5, 18:00 | 15.2S 169.9E | 135 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 6, 00:00 | 15.6S 170.1E | 140 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 6, 06:00 | 16.0S 170.5E | 140 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 6, 12:00 | 16.6S 171.1E | 140 kt | 900 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 6, 18:00 | 17.2S 171.9E | 140 kt | 910 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 7, 00:00 | 18.0S 172.8E | 140 kt | 910 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 7, 06:00 | 18.9S 173.8E | 135 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 7, 12:00 | 19.9S 174.9E | 130 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 7, 18:00 | 20.9S 176.4E | 120 kt | 920 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 8, 00:00 | 22.0S 178.0E | 115 kt | 925 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 8, 06:00 | 23.2S 179.7E | 100 kt | 935 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 8, 12:00 | 24.7S 178.5W | 95 kt | 940 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 8, 18:00 | 26.6S 176.9W | 90 kt | 940 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 9, 00:00 | 29.0S 175.2W | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 9, 06:00 | 31.0S 172.6W | 75 kt | 963 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 9, 12:00 | 33.4S 170.0W | 70 kt | 967 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 9, 18:00 | 36.2S 167.4W | 60 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 10, 00:00 | 43.5S 196.2E | 50 kt | 976 mb | Not reported |
| Jan 10, 06:00 | 49.0S 198.0E | 50 kt | 972 mb | Not reported |
| Jan 10, 12:00 | 54.0S 203.0E | 50 kt | 972 mb | Not reported |
Other South Pacific storms of 1998
- Tropical Storm LusiSouth Pacific · 1998
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone MartinSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone NuteSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone OseaSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone PamSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone RonSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone KatrinaSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm LesSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm TuiSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone UrsulaSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone VeliSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm WesSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone Cindy:VictorSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm MaySouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone YaliSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone NathanSouth Pacific · 1998
- Cyclone ZumanSouth Pacific · 1998
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm AlanSouth Pacific · 1998
- Tropical Storm BartSouth Pacific · 1998
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.