Cyclone Rita (2020)
Cyclone Rita reached Category 1 in the South Pacific between November 22, 2019 and November 29, 2019, with a lowest pressure of 980 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Rita, 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
- November 22, 2019 to November 29, 2019
- Peak strength
- Category 1, 70 kt (81 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 980 mb (28.94 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 139 km (86 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 3.0
- Identifier
- SH012020
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads carries a casualty or damage figure for this storm.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 00:00 | 7.5S 163.0E | 15 kt | 1008 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 22, 06:00 | 7.7S 163.9E | 15 kt | 1007 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 22, 12:00 | 7.9S 164.8E | 20 kt | 1005 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 22, 18:00 | 8.2S 165.7E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 23, 00:00 | 8.4S 166.6E | 20 kt | 1005 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 23, 06:00 | 8.7S 167.5E | 25 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 23, 12:00 | 9.1S 168.1E | 30 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 23, 18:00 | 9.6S 168.4E | 30 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 24, 00:00 | 9.9S 168.6E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 24, 06:00 | 10.2S 168.9E | 45 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 24, 12:00 | 10.7S 169.2E | 50 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 24, 18:00 | 11.2S 169.4E | 55 kt | 988 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 25, 00:00 | 11.8S 169.8E | 70 kt | 980 mb | Typhoon |
| Nov 25, 06:00 | 12.2S 170.2E | 65 kt | 984 mb | Typhoon |
| Nov 25, 12:00 | 12.8S 170.3E | 65 kt | 983 mb | Typhoon |
| Nov 25, 18:00 | 13.4S 170.2E | 60 kt | 988 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 26, 00:00 | 13.7S 169.9E | 50 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 26, 06:00 | 14.0S 169.7E | 40 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 26, 12:00 | 14.5S 169.5E | 30 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 26, 18:00 | 14.8S 169.1E | 25 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 27, 00:00 | 15.2S 168.7E | 25 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 27, 06:00 | 15.5S 168.9E | 25 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 27, 12:00 | 15.8S 169.2E | 25 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical depression |
| Nov 27, 18:00 | 15.8S 169.5E | 20 kt | 1005 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 28, 00:00 | 15.4S 169.7E | 20 kt | 1009 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 28, 06:00 | 15.0S 169.4E | 15 kt | 1010 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 28, 12:00 | 14.7S 169.3E | 15 kt | 1010 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 28, 18:00 | 14.4S 169.4E | 15 kt | 1007 mb | Disturbance |
| Nov 29, 00:00 | 14.1S 169.7E | 15 kt | 1010 mb | Disturbance |
Other South Pacific storms of 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
- Cyclone GretelSouth 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.