Tropical Storm Rita (2001)
Tropical Storm Rita peaked at 40 kt in the South Pacific between February 28, 2001 and March 6, 2001, with a lowest pressure of 986 mb.
Radar
Reflectivity now over Tropical Storm Rita. Open it to see storms, cones and warnings on the map.
Radar mosaic and map layers from NOAA MRMS. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
The storm
- Basin
- South Pacific
- Dates
- February 28, 2001 to March 6, 2001
- Peak strength
- Tropical Storm, 40 kt (46 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 986 mb (29.12 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 3817 km (2372 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 1.9
- Identifier
- SH142001
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads carries a casualty or damage figure for this storm.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 18:00 | 19.3S 136.8W | 25 kt | Tropical depression | |
| Mar 1, 00:00 | 19.5S 136.3W | 30 kt | 995 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 1, 06:00 | 19.7S 135.9W | 30 kt | 995 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 1, 12:00 | 19.8S 135.5W | 30 kt | 995 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 1, 18:00 | 19.9S 135.1W | 30 kt | 995 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 2, 00:00 | 20.3S 134.8W | 35 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 2, 06:00 | 20.7S 134.8W | 35 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 2, 12:00 | 21.1S 134.9W | 35 kt | 995 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 2, 18:00 | 21.8S 135.1W | 35 kt | 995 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 00:00 | 22.6S 135.2W | 35 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 06:00 | 23.4S 135.4W | 35 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 12:00 | 24.1S 135.8W | 40 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 18:00 | 24.8S 136.2W | 40 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 00:00 | 25.7S 136.4W | 40 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 06:00 | 26.8S 136.7W | 40 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 12:00 | 27.8S 137.0W | 35 kt | 986 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 18:00 | 28.9S 136.8W | 30 kt | 990 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 5, 00:00 | 30.4S 136.1W | 30 kt | 993 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 5, 06:00 | 31.7S 135.4W | 30 kt | 996 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 5, 12:00 | 34.1S 135.3W | 35 kt | 999 mb | Not reported |
| Mar 5, 18:00 | 36.1S 135.4W | 35 kt | 1000 mb | Not reported |
| Mar 6, 00:00 | 38.0S 135.0W | 35 kt | 1000 mb | Not reported |
Other South Pacific storms of 2001
- Cyclone SamSouth Pacific · 2001
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2001
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2001
- Tropical Storm WinsomeSouth Pacific · 2001
- Tropical Storm WylvaSouth Pacific · 2001
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2001
- Tropical Storm OmaSouth Pacific · 2001
- Tropical Storm AbigailSouth Pacific · 2001
- Cyclone PaulaSouth Pacific · 2001
- Cyclone SoseSouth Pacific · 2001
- Cyclone AlistairSouth Pacific · 2001
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.