page_title: 2018 in Tonga
section_title: Events
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 in Tonga / Events
caption_attribution_description: English: The Japan Meteorological Agency's Himawari-8 satellite captured this thermal infrared imagery of powerful Tropical Cyclone Gita in the South Pacific at 1550 UTC on February 12, 2018. The latest report from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said the storm had sustained winds near 145 mph as it tracked westward past the island nation of Tonga. The storm's eyewall raked across Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, Monday evening (local time), battering the city with destructive winds and flooding rain.
context_page_description: Events in the year 2018 in Tonga.
context_section_description: 12 February – Tonga was hit by the Cyclone Gita, the strongest cyclone to strike Tonga in its recorded history, with winds of up to 195km/h.
caption: Enhanced infrared satellite image of the Cyclone Gita off the coast of Tonga on 12 February
exif: {}