Cyclone Olaf (2005)

Basin

South Pacific

Dates

February 10, 2005 to February 23, 2005

Peak strength

Category 5, 145 kt (167 mph)

Lowest pressure

892 mb (26.34 inHg)

Landfall

No; closest approach 139 km (86 mi)

Accumulated cyclone energy

34.8

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

160 nmi (296 km, 184 mi) from the center at its widest

Hurricane-force wind reached

40 nmi (74 km, 46 mi) from the center at its widest

Overall size

142 nmi (263 km, 163 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Peak gust in the best track

175 kt (201 mph)

Fastest the center moved

49 kt (56 mph)

Identifier

SH192005

The sources count different things and are not added together.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

0 (0 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

2

Property damage

$10 million

Crop damage

$100,000

Events recorded

3 in 1 reports from 1 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

1 hurricane (typhoon), 1 strong wind, 1 high surf.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Hurricane Olaf, a Category 5, had sustained maximum winds of "160 mph and gusts to 190 mph. Waves up to 40 feet high hit some islands." Olaf made landfall over Manu'a Islands, causing severe damages to homes, crops, and highways on February 16th. Vicious surf associated with Hurricane Olaf erroded a highway in Tau village, also storm surge of 8 to 12 feet reached residential homes within 300 to 400 feet from shore. Large coral rocks were piled in homes and a village church as a result of a storm surge near northeast facing shores. There were no injuries reported.

Manu'A, American Samoa · Hurricane (Typhoon) · Feb 15, 02:00 UTC

A 68-foot vessel was afloat within 50 miles north of Manu'a, "disabled with no steering wheel but had power." The crew member were not injured by high swells generated by Hurricane Olaf. The Associated Press reported a vessel sank on February 16th in "50-foot waves and 120 mph winds about 95 miles north of American Samoa and the four rescued crew members were on a life raft when they were found." There were reports about other missing vessels based in Western Samoa, but were later found by Coast Guards and Rescue Team from New Zealand. No death reported.

Manu'A, American Samoa · High Surf · Feb 16, 02:00 UTC

• Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm JudySouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm45 kt · 987 mb
• Cyclone KerrySouth Pacific · 2005Cat 290 kt · 954 mb
• Tropical Storm LolaSouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm40 kt · 990 mb
• Cyclone MeenaSouth Pacific · 2005Cat 4125 kt · 916 mb
• Tropical Storm HarveySouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm50 kt · 987 mb
• Cyclone NancySouth Pacific · 2005Cat 4125 kt · 916 mb
• Cyclone PercySouth Pacific · 2005Cat 5140 kt · 898 mb
• Tropical Storm RaeSouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm35 kt · 997 mb
• Cyclone IngridSouth Pacific · 2005Cat 4135 kt · 904 mb
• Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm40 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm SheilaSouth Pacific · 2005Tropical Storm40 kt · 990 mb

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.

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.

• Wikipedia article: Cyclone Olaf