Cyclone Ruby
Category 2 Australian region and South Pacific cyclone in 2021 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tropical Cyclone Ruby was a strong but short-lived tropical cyclone which impacted New Caledonia with strong winds and rainfall, after its predecessor tropical low and a nearby trough caused disruption over some parts of the Solomon Islands. The third named system of the 2021-22 Australian region cyclone season and the first cyclone of the 2021-22 South Pacific cyclone season, Ruby formed from an area of convection that was first monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) on 8 December in the Solomon Sea. However, the system didn't officially become a tropical low until 06:00 UTC on 10 December, when the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) started to issue bulletins on it. After stalling over the area, the storm moved southeastwards over the Coral Sea, where it continued to develop under favorable conditions. The system was finally upgraded to Tropical Cyclone Ruby two days later as gale-force winds encircled its eastern portions.[1]
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | 9 December 2021 (2021-12-09) |
Extratropical | 15 December 2021 |
Dissipated | 17 December 2021 (2021-12-17) |
Category 2 tropical cyclone | |
10-minute sustained (FMS) | |
Highest winds | 110 km/h (70 mph) |
Lowest pressure | 975 hPa (mbar); 28.79 inHg |
Category 1-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
Highest winds | 130 km/h (80 mph) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | None |
Areas affected | Solomon Islands, New Caledonia |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2021–22 Australian region and South Pacific cyclone seasons |
Wind and rainfall alerts were placed over some islands of the Solomon Islands, due to a trough and the cyclone's predecessor. Two reservoirs, the Kombito and the Kongulai River, were closed and people using the waters of the embankments were advised to boil water as the rivers were contaminated with sediments due to rainfall from the system. Later, cyclone pre-watches were issued for the whole island of New Caledonia as Ruby slowly approached the archipelago, with warnings being further upgraded to Alert Level 2. Flights, ferry and other transportation services were halted as a precaution, and potentially-affected people were evacuated. Over 2,000 residential areas lost electricity as Ruby touched down in the archipelago, with reports of trees being uprooted, in one case damaging a house.[2] Strong winds bashed the northern part of New Caledonia, while the whole portion received heavy rainfall. No deaths were confirmed.