Cyclone Eseta (2003)
Cyclone Eseta reached Category 3 in the South Pacific between March 8, 2003 and March 15, 2003, with a lowest pressure of 952 mb.
Radar
Reflectivity now over Cyclone Eseta. 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 8, 2003 to March 15, 2003
- Peak strength
- Category 3, 110 kt (127 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 952 mb (28.11 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 389 km (242 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 8.6
- Identifier
- SH252003
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 8, 18:00 | 14.0S 171.6E | 15 kt | 1006 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 9, 00:00 | 13.9S 171.9E | 15 kt | 1006 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 9, 06:00 | 14.1S 172.1E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 9, 12:00 | 14.3S 172.3E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 9, 18:00 | 14.6S 172.5E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 10, 00:00 | 15.1S 172.6E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 10, 06:00 | 15.6S 172.5E | 25 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Mar 10, 12:00 | 16.2S 172.4E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 10, 18:00 | 17.1S 172.1E | 40 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 11, 00:00 | 18.0S 172.2E | 45 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 11, 06:00 | 18.9S 172.5E | 55 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 11, 12:00 | 19.6S 173.2E | 55 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 11, 18:00 | 20.4S 174.1E | 60 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 12, 00:00 | 21.4S 175.0E | 65 kt | 976 mb | Typhoon |
| Mar 12, 06:00 | 21.6S 176.5E | 65 kt | 976 mb | Typhoon |
| Mar 12, 12:00 | 21.8S 178.1E | 70 kt | 984 mb | Typhoon |
| Mar 12, 18:00 | 21.9S 179.9E | 90 kt | 954 mb | Typhoon |
| Mar 13, 00:00 | 21.9S 177.8W | 100 kt | 962 mb | Hurricane |
| Mar 13, 06:00 | 22.3S 175.2W | 100 kt | 962 mb | Hurricane |
| Mar 13, 12:00 | 22.9S 172.5W | 110 kt | 952 mb | Hurricane |
| Mar 13, 18:00 | 23.3S 169.5W | 80 kt | 976 mb | Hurricane |
| Mar 14, 00:00 | 25.3S 165.6W | 65 kt | 987 mb | Hurricane |
| Mar 14, 06:00 | 27.5S 161.1W | 55 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 14, 12:00 | 30.5S 156.9W | 45 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 14, 18:00 | 36.0S 204.5E | 45 kt | 986 mb | Not reported |
| Mar 15, 00:00 | 39.5S 205.0E | 30 kt | 988 mb | Not reported |
| Mar 15, 06:00 | 43.5S 203.5E | 30 kt | 983 mb | Not reported |
Other South Pacific storms of 2003
- Tropical Storm YolandeSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone ZoeSouth Pacific · 2003
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone AmiSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone BeniSouth Pacific · 2003
- Tropical Storm CillaSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone DoviSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone EricaSouth Pacific · 2003
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2003
- Tropical Storm FiliSouth Pacific · 2003
- Cyclone GinaSouth Pacific · 2003
- Tropical Storm EpiSouth Pacific · 2003
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.