First Known South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Forms

Truth is stranger than fiction! Note they also got it wrong on intensity= 100kts is a Cat 3, not Cat 2 as indicated my Honolulu-they probably confused knots and mph.

Here is the info---not sure why they got out of order on names:

January 28 - February 4, 1992 (HURRICANE EKEKA)

Hurricane EKEKA was a rare out of season tropical cyclone that formed close to the Equator in the vicinity of Christmas Island. This was the first central North Pacific hurricane observed during the month of January since the advent of weather satellites in the 1960s.

EKEKA formed within a large area of deep convection close to the Equator that had been observed by satellite for a number of days. Several ship reports as early as January 23 had indicated squalls and strong southwesterly winds just north of the Equator to the south and southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

The first advisory on Tropical Depression ONE-C was issued by the CPHC at 280900Z with a position of 04.7N 157.8W within the Line Islands just north of Christmas Island and just east of Fanning Island. ONE-C intensified rapidly and became a Tropical Storm EKEKA (Hawaiian for Edgar). EKEKA was upgraded to a hurricane at 300000Z as it moved slowly west northwest toward the Dateline, staying well south of Johnston Island. Peak intensity was estimated at 100 knots and was reached on February 2 with EKEKA nearing 10N 175W. A large trough in the upper westerlies began to have detrimental effects on the hurricane as it neared the Dateline on February 4. Vertical wind shear caused EKEKA to lose strength rapidly and the system was barely of tropical storm intensity as it crossed into the Western Pacific near 09N 180 at 041800Z and became the responsibility of the JTWC on Guam.

The JTWC downgraded the weakening tropical storm to a depression at 041200Z. The depression continued to move west through the Marshall Islands and did not cause any known problems. EKEKA was put to rest by the JTWC on February 8 when its remnants were near 06N 150E.

1992: Hurricane Ekeka Date/Time
(UTC) Latitude
(N) Longitude
(W) Pressure
(mb) Wind Speed
(kt) Stage/Notes
01/28/0600 4.5 157.0 30 Tropical Depression
1200 4.8 157.5 30 "
1800 5.2 158.0 35 Tropical Storm
01/29/0000 5.5 158.5 40 "
0600 5.7 159.0 45 "
1200 5.9 160.8 50 "
1800 6.0 162.5 55 "
01/30/0000 6.0 163.5 65 Hurricane Cat. 1
0600 6.1 164.2 65 "
1200 6.1 164.7 70 "
1800 6.2 165.2 75 "
01/31/0000 6.3 166.2 75 "
0600 6.5 167.2 75 "
1200 6.9 168.3 75 "
1800 7.4 169.5 85 Hurricane Cat. 2
02/01/0000 8.1 171.1 90 "
0600 8.4 171.9 90 "
1200 8.8 172.8 90 "
1800 9.0 173.3 90 "
02/02/0000 9.2 173.7 100 "
0600 9.3 174.2 100 "
1200 9.5 174.6 90 "
1800 9.6 175.1 90 "
02/03/0000 9.6 175.7 80 Hurricane Cat. 1
0600 9.7 176.4 50 Tropical Storm
1200 9.5 178.0 40 "
1800 9.4 180.0 40 "

March 28-30, 1992 (TROPICAL STORM HALI)

Warm water on the Equator to the south of the Hawaiian Islands early in the year had the effect of producing some very active deep convection and heavy rains near the Equator from the Dateline eastward to the coast of South America. This is typical El Nino weather during the northern hemisphere autumn and winter months when the otherwise sunny and dry Line Islands get inundated by torrential rains and the pleasant trade winds are replaced by humid westerly winds. These conditions are also conducive for the development of tropical cyclones.

Hurricane EKEKA formed within this area of heavy convection in late January near Christmas Island and moved west northwest toward the Marshall Islands. This very unseasonable tropical cyclone activity repeated itself in late March as Tropical Depression TWO-C developed on the 28th within a cluster of deep convection near 05N 170W. The depression intensified slowly and was upgraded to a Tropical Storm HALI (Hawaiian for Holly) on March 29. HALI peaked at about 45 knots in the area near 07N 175W on the 29th, weakened rapidly, and dissipated on the 30th as strong upper southwesterlies sheared its top off and caused the system to break up.

1992: Tropical Storm Hali Date/Time
(UTC) Latitude
(N) Longitude
(W) Pressure
(mb) Wind Speed
(kt) Stage/Notes
03/28/0600 5.2 172.2 25 Tropical Depression
1200 5.3 172.8 25 "
1800 5.4 173.0 30 "
03/29/0000 5.5 173.2 30 "
0600 5.6 173.5 30 "
1200 5.7 173.8 40 Tropical Storm
1800 5.9 174.0 45 "
03/30/0000 6.3 174.2 45 "
0600 6.5 174.9 35 "
1200 6.7 175.3 30 Tropical Depression
1800 7.0 175.5 25 "

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