page_title: Cyclone Pam
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Pam / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam of the 2014-15 South Pacific cyclone season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the second most intense tropical cyclone of the south Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total of 15–16 people lost their lives either directly or indirectly as a result of Pam with many others injured. The storm's impacts were also felt, albeit to a lesser extent, to other islands in the South Pacific, most notably the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and New Zealand. Pam is the third most intense storm of the South Pacific Ocean according to pressure, after Winston of 2016 and Zoe of 2002. It is also the second most intense tropical cyclone in 2015, only behind Hurricane Patricia. In addition, Pam is tied with Orson, Monica, Marcus and Fantala for having the second strongest ten-minute maximum sustained winds in the Southern Hemisphere. Thousands of homes, schools and buildings were damaged or destroyed, with an estimated 3,300 people displaced as a result.
  Pam formed on 6 March, east of the Solomon Islands and tracked slowly in a generally southward direction, slowly intensifying as it did so.
context_section_description: During the opening days of March 2015, a major westerly wind burst occurred, which subsequently contributed to the development of the  2014-16 El Niño event and the development of two tropical cyclones near Kiribati on either side of the equator. The first tropical cyclone became Tropical Storm Bavi and impacted the Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands as well as the Philippines. The second system was first noted as Tropical Disturbance 11F by the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) during 6 March, while it was located about 750 kilometres (465 mi) to the north-east of Honiara in the Solomon Islands. The system was located underneath an upper level ridge of high pressure and within an area favourable for further development with low-moderate vertical windshear. As a result, weather forecast models anticipated the development of a significant tropical cyclone over the coming days. Initially, the disturbance floundered east of the Solomon Islands and slowly strengthened, reaching tropical depression intensity on 8 March. The storm's appearance and areal coverage of showers remained stationary until the following day, when the formation of rainbands wrapping about the centre of the system prompted the FMS to upgrade the storm's classification to a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone scale, assigning it the name Pam. Atmospheric conditions at the time were slightly favourable for continued development as the storm continued to slowly track along the southern periphery of a high-pressure area to its north.
  Following the storm's naming, Pam began to curve southwards around midday on 9 March. Computer models continued to point towards the possibility of rapid intensification occurring as the cyclone approached Vanuatu. Significant development in Pam's organisation took place throughout the remainder of the day into 10 March. The cyclone's circulation centre quickly tightened, with the central dense overcast atop it persisting in strength. At 18:00 UTC on 10 March, the FMS upgraded the system to category 3 strength, making it a severe tropical cyclone. Shortly after, microwave imagery revealed a primordial eye-feature developing within Pam; this became apparent on visible light images on 11 March. That day, Pam became quasi-stationary east of the Santa Cruz Islands before resuming its prior southwesterly motion towards the end of 11 March. The storm's eye continued to warm as its cloud tops cooled such that at 12:00 UTC, the FMS assessed Pam to have reached Category 5 intensity on the Australian cyclone scale. Six hours later, the JTWC estimated that the storm reached Category 5-equivalent intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale as Pam was east of Penama.
  Early on 13 March, the JTWC determined Pam reached its peak one-minute sustained winds of 270 km/h (165 mph) as it neared Vanuatu; this was increased to 280 km/h (175 mph) in post-season reanalysis. Several hours later, the cyclone began to curve towards the south-southeast, allowing Pam to pass just east of Efate. At that time, the FMS estimated Pam as having record-breaking 250 km/h (155 mph) ten-minute sustained winds. The storm's winds gradually slowed afterwards as Pam tracked west of Tafea. However, the FMS indicated that the cyclone's pressure dropped further to a minimum of 896 mbar (hPa; 26.46 inHg) on 14 March, making Pam the second most intense tropical cyclone in the South Pacific basin after Cyclone Zoe in 2002. This intensity was short-lived, however, as Pam's central pressure began rising shortly thereafter as the storm accelerated southeastward. After 12:00 UTC that day, Pam left the area of responsibility of the FMS and entered the monitoring region of New Zealand's MetService, who estimated that Pam weakened to Category 4 intensity on 15 March after maintaining Category 5 intensity for 36 hours. Shortly after, the storm's eye faded away and Pam's low level circulation became displaced from its associated thunderstorms, signalling a rapid weakening phase. Later on 15 March, both agencies discontinued issuing advisories as 
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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