Cyclone Daman - Meteorological History

Meteorological History

Late on December 2, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) started to monitor an area of disturbed weather that was located within the South Pacific convergence zone to the northwest of Apia, Samoa. Located beneath an anticyclone, the system maintained deep convection near its elongated but well-defined circulation center. Early the next day, the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center in Nadi, Fiji, (RSMC Nadi), started to monitor the area of disturbed weather as Tropical Depression 04F. Over the next two days, the depression moved towards the west, conditions surrounding the depression barely changed and as a result the depression steadily intensified. Early on December 5, the system had convective bands spiraling into and wrapping tightly around the low level circulation center. As a result of this, the JTWC started advisories on Tropical Cyclone 05P, with winds equivalent to a tropical storm. At 0200 UTC, RSMC Nadi reported that the tropical depression had intensified into a category one tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale and named it as Daman. During that day Daman passed over Rotuma island while gradually intensifying further.

At 0600 UTC, on December 6, the JTWC reported that Daman had intensified into a category one tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale. Shortly after this, the cyclone made an abrupt turn and started to move towards the east instead of moving towards the south. Later that day at 1200 UTC, RSMC Nadi reported that Daman had intensified into a category three severe tropical cyclone as it was now sporting a cloud filled eye. The cyclone continued to intensify over the next 12 hours becoming a category four severe tropical cyclone at 0000 UTC on December 7. At that time RSMC Nadi forecasted, that there was a possibility that Daman could become a category five severe tropical cyclone, with windspeeds of 215 km/h, (130 mph), within 12 hours. However six hours later as the general organization of the eye had weakened, RSMC Nadi reported that the cyclone had peaked as a category four severe tropical cyclone with ten-minute winds of 195 km/h, (120 mph) and a peak pressure of 925 hPa (27.3 inHg). The JTWC also reported that Cyclone Daman had peaked with one minute winds of 195 km/h, (120 mph). In their post storm analysis, both RSMC Nadi and the JTWC revised their estimated peak windspeeds, with RSMC Nadi lowering their estimated windspeeds to 185 km/h, (115 mph), while the JTWC elevated their estimates to 205 km/h, (125 mph). As the Cyclone peaked in intensity, it started to accelerate towards the southeast and passed over or close to Thikombia island, before becoming under the influence of a mid-level ridge of high pressure. As it came under the influence of the mid-level ridge of high pressure, Daman turned once more and started to move slowly towards the southeast, into an area of strengthening vertical windshear and cooler sea surface temperatures. As a result Daman rapidly weakened during December 8, before both the next day as the system moved through the Lau Islands, both the JTWC and RSMC Nadi reported that it had weakened into a tropical depression. The final advisories on the system were issued the next day as Daman merged with a frontal system.