page_title: Cyclone Sose
section_title: Impact and aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Sose / Impact and aftermath
caption_attribution_description: Map of Vanuatu
context_page_description: Tropical Cyclone Sose was a moderate storm system that chiefly impacted the island nation of Vanuatu in early April 2001. The developing cyclone was first detected on April 3, while situated well to the northeast of Vanuatu. As atmospheric conditions became more conducive to intensification, the disturbance gradually consolidated as it drifted toward the west-southwest. After receiving the name Sose on April 5, the cyclone was driven southeastward, passing just west of Espiritu Santo and neighboring islands. Although it never made landfall, Sose was particularly expansive, producing a wide area of gale-force winds. The cyclone peaked in strength between April 7 and 8 with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 110 km/h and 1-minute sustained winds of 130 km/h, placing it at Category 2 intensity on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Ultimately, stronger wind shear and an increasingly hostile upper-air pattern took their toll on the cyclone as it progressed due south; Sose lost tropical characteristics to the northeast of Norfolk Island by April 12. The extratropical remnants of Sose continued into the Tasman Sea.
context_section_description: Prior to the storm's passage of New Caledonia, residents there were advised to take basic precautions, such as remaining indoors during bouts of inclement weather. Storm warnings were hoisted over the Loyalty Islands and South Province. Vanuatu's Department of Meteorology began posting official alerts on April 7. Warnings for heavy rains and strong winds were posted throughout northern New Zealand in anticipation of the storm's remnants. With Easter weekend, more motorists were already expected to be traveling longer distances, and officials grew concerned of dangerous effects on traffic from the cyclone. Police increased their presence to unprecedented levels in an attempt to control speeding and other hazardous behaviors.
  Due to the storm's "negative impact on one or more countries", Sose was retired from the cyclical list of tropical cyclone names;
caption: Annotated map of Vanuatu; click to enlarge
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