User:Jason Rees/Nancy

Meterological history
Towards the end of January 1990, a surge in the Northern Hemisphere's trade winds and the Southern Hemispheres monsoon, led to the South Pacific Convergence Zone and the Australian monsoon trough becoming active after a prolonged period of dormancy. As a result, two shallow tropical depressions were spawned during January 26; one near the Pacific Island Nation of Tuvalu which eventually developed into Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa, while the other one was located over the Coral Sea about 1080 km to the north-west of Noumea, New Caledonia. The system subsquently started to move slowly towards the south-west towards Australia, as gale force winds quickly developed in the depressions south-west quadrant. As a result, the Australian Bureau of Meterology issued a gale warning for marine interests, before the system became slow moving and intensification stopped, as it started to be impacted by an unfavourable enviorment.

Late on January 30, TCWC Nadi started to issue warnings on a tropical depression, that was intensifying as it moved southeastwards and approached 160°E and the South Pacific tropical cyclone basin. The system subsequently moved into the basin early the next day and was named Nancy by TCWC Nadi, after it had become a category 1 tropical cyclone. During that day the system re-curved and started to move towards the south-southwest, as it was steered around the southern extension of an upper level trough of low pressure. The system subsequently moved out of the basin during February 1, as it intensified into a category 2 tropical cyclone. While the system was in the basin the JTWC estimated that Nancy had peak 1-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (130 mph), which made it equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the SSHWS. The system subsequently re-entered the basin as an extratropical cyclone on February 6, before it dissipated to the west of New Zealand on February 8.

On February 3, 1990, Cyclone Nancy made landfall near Byron Bay, bringing flashfloods that killed five people.