Ruby

History

Tropical Cyclone Ruby developed from an area of convection in the Solomon Sea, first tracked by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center on 8 December 2021. The system was designated Tropical Low 07U by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on 10 December, and was upgraded to a named tropical cyclone on 12 December as it moved southeast across the Coral Sea. Ruby reached its peak intensity on 13 December at 00:00 UTC, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 60 knots (110 km/h), classifying it as a Category 2 system on the Australian scale. Responsibility for tracking was subsequently handed to the Fiji Meteorological Service as Ruby crossed into the South Pacific basin.

The cyclone made landfall in Belep, New Caledonia, at 17:00 UTC on 13 December, before passing over Poum an hour later. It was the first cyclone to strike New Caledonia's northern region since Cyclone Frank in 1990. Wind gusts reached 185 km/h at Poingam, and rainfall over a 12-hour period on 14 December peaked at 303.1 mm near Yaté. Approximately 14,864 households lost power, trees were downed, and some roads became impassable. Prior to landfall, ferry and air services were suspended and emergency shelters were opened. In the Solomon Islands, heavy rainfall contaminated water reservoirs, causing health issues for some residents. No fatalities were recorded from the storm.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia