DRENA

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Drena began as a tropical low that developed within a monsoon trough north of Fiji during the first days of January 1997. Tracking west-southwest along the northern flank of a subtropical ridge, the system steadily organised and passed over northern Vanuatu on 3 January. Once it emerged into the Coral Sea that same day, falling vertical wind shear allowed rapid intensification, and the Fiji Meteorological Service named it Drena as it reached Category 1 strength.

Drena continued westward while deepening quickly, developing a well-defined eye on satellite imagery and reaching Category 3 severe tropical cyclone status on 4 January as it crossed from the South Pacific into the Australian region. Interaction with a deep short-wave trough then caused the storm to recurve to the south-east through a weakness in the ridge. On 5 January the Bureau of Meteorology assessed Drena at its peak as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained winds near 165 km/h and a central pressure of 935 hPa; the Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated 1-minute winds of 220 km/h.

Weakening set in from 6 January as shear increased. Drena brushed New Caledonia's west coast as a Category 3 system on 7–8 January, prompting a maximum alert across the French territory. Rainfall reached 474 mm at Dzumac and gusts hit 165 km/h at Koumac, destroying most crops, flooding roads and cutting power and communications, though Nouméa escaped serious damage. Earlier, strong winds, heavy rain and high seas had caused extensive damage on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.

Accelerating south-east over cooler seas, Drena passed over Norfolk Island as a Category 2 system on 9 January while transitioning to an extratropical low. It crossed New Zealand's North Island near Wanganui, with the centre reforming off Hawke's Bay on 11 January. Three people died, around 140 residents were evacuated at Moanatairi and 44 homes were flooded. Damage totalled US$6.7 million, including $2 million to roads. Winds of 160 km/h were recorded in the Hauraki Gulf. The name Drena was subsequently retired.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia