Tropical Storm Des (2002)
Tropical Storm Des peaked at 50 kt in the South Pacific between March 3, 2002 and March 9, 2002, with a lowest pressure of 987 mb.
Radar
Reflectivity now over Tropical Storm Des. 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
- March 3, 2002 to March 9, 2002
- Peak strength
- Tropical Storm, 50 kt (58 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 987 mb (29.15 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 99 km (62 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 1.7
- Identifier
- SH172002
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads carries a casualty or damage figure for this storm.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 00:00 | 14.6S 154.2E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 06:00 | 15.3S 154.5E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 12:00 | 16.0S 154.8E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 3, 18:00 | 16.8S 154.9E | 25 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 00:00 | 17.5S 155.0E | 25 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 06:00 | 18.2S 155.1E | 35 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 12:00 | 18.7S 155.9E | 35 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 4, 18:00 | 19.0S 157.5E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 5, 00:00 | 19.0S 158.5E | 30 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 5, 06:00 | 19.0S 159.6E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 5, 12:00 | 19.2S 160.6E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 5, 18:00 | 19.7S 161.5E | 45 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 6, 00:00 | 20.2S 162.4E | 50 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 6, 06:00 | 21.0S 163.2E | 45 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 6, 12:00 | 21.8S 164.3E | 40 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 6, 18:00 | 22.7S 165.3E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 7, 00:00 | 23.7S 166.3E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 7, 06:00 | 24.2S 168.3E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 7, 12:00 | 24.7S 169.3E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 7, 18:00 | 24.8S 170.5E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 8, 00:00 | 25.0S 171.9E | 25 kt | 999 mb | Not reported |
| Mar 8, 06:00 | 24.9S 173.2E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 8, 12:00 | 24.4S 174.6E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 8, 18:00 | 24.0S 175.9E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 9, 00:00 | 23.6S 177.1E | Not reported |
Other South Pacific storms of 2002
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2002
- Tropical Storm TrinaSouth Pacific · 2002
- Tropical Depression VickySouth Pacific · 2002
- Cyclone WakaSouth Pacific · 2002
- Tropical Storm BernieSouth Pacific · 2002
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2002
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2002
- Cyclone ClaudiaSouth Pacific · 2002
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2002
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2002
- Tropical Storm UpiaSouth Pacific · 2002
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.