Cyclone Gretel (2020)
Cyclone Gretel reached Category 1 in the South Pacific between March 13, 2020 and March 19, 2020, with a lowest pressure of 971 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Gretel, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 2020 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
- March 13, 2020 to March 19, 2020
- Peak strength
- Category 1, 65 kt (75 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 971 mb (28.67 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 123 km (76 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 2.7
- Identifier
- SH232020
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 13, 00:00 | 14.1S 149.1E | 15 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 13, 06:00 | 14.9S 151.7E | 15 kt | 999 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 13, 12:00 | 16.5S 152.9E | 30 kt | 997 mb | MD |
| Mar 13, 18:00 | 16.5S 153.8E | 35 kt | 996 mb | MD |
| Mar 14, 00:00 | 16.7S 154.8E | 35 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 14, 06:00 | 17.2S 156.5E | 35 kt | 988 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 14, 12:00 | 17.9S 158.3E | 40 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 14, 18:00 | 18.9S 160.2E | 45 kt | 987 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 15, 00:00 | 20.2S 161.8E | 55 kt | 982 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 15, 06:00 | 21.7S 163.4E | 65 kt | 974 mb | Typhoon |
| Mar 15, 12:00 | 23.1S 165.5E | 60 kt | 978 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 15, 18:00 | 24.9S 167.7E | 55 kt | 977 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 16, 00:00 | 26.8S 169.7E | 50 kt | 978 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 16, 06:00 | 28.3S 171.9E | 55 kt | 974 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 16, 12:00 | 30.1S 174.0E | 55 kt | 971 mb | Subtropical storm |
| Mar 16, 18:00 | 31.4S 177.0E | 55 kt | 982 mb | Subtropical storm |
| Mar 17, 00:00 | 31.5S 179.9E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 17, 06:00 | 32.5S 182.5E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 17, 12:00 | 33.8S 185.5E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 17, 18:00 | 35.7S 190.0E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 18, 00:00 | 36.0S 192.0E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 18, 06:00 | 36.0S 195.1E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 18, 12:00 | 37.3S 196.5E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 18, 18:00 | 38.7S 198.7E | Not reported | ||
| Mar 19, 00:00 | 39.3S 200.0E | Not reported |
Other South Pacific storms of 2020
- Cyclone RitaSouth Pacific · 2020
- Cyclone SaraiSouth Pacific · 2020
- Cyclone TinoSouth Pacific · 2020
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Pacific · 2020
- Cyclone UesiSouth Pacific · 2020
- Tropical Storm VickySouth Pacific · 2020
- Tropical Storm WasiSouth Pacific · 2020
- Tropical Storm EstherSouth Pacific · 2020
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Pacific · 2020
- Cyclone HaroldSouth Pacific · 2020
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.