 Val near Samoa on December 9 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 4, 1991 |
| Extratropical | December 13, 1991 |
| Dissipated | December 17, 1991 |
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | |
| 10-minute sustained (FMS) | |
| Highest winds | 165 km/h (105 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg |
| Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NPMOC) | |
| Highest winds | 230 km/h (145 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 17 confirmed |
| Damage | $381 million (1991 USD) |
| Areas affected | Tuvalu, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, Samoan Islands, Cook Islands, Tonga |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1991–92 South Pacific cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Val (also known as Hurricane Val) was considered to be the worst tropical cyclone to affect the Samoan Islands since the 1889 Apia cyclone. The system was first identified during the opening days of December 1991, as a small circulation, within the Intertropical Convergence Zone to the north of Tokelau. Over the next few days, the system moved westwards towards Rotuma and Tuvalu and gradually developed further, before it was named Val on December 5, after it had become a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. The system subsequently continued to intensify as it moved towards the Samoan Islands and peaked as a category 4 severe tropical cyclone, as it made landfall on the island of Savaii on December 6. After Val had passed over the island, weakening upper-level winds caused the system to slow down before it made a sharp clockwise loop which almost brought it over Savaii for a second time.
On December 9, Val completed its loop and started to move eastwards and gradually weakened before it passed over American Samoa early the next day. After passing over American Samoa, Val appeared to threaten the Southern Cook Islands and was expected to pass close to Palmerston Island. However, as the system continued to weaken, it started to move more towards the south-southeast than had been expected, which spared the Cook Islands. During December 13, Val became a strong extratropical depression, before the system was captured and sheared apart by strong environmental westerlies associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as it approached 50°S during December 16.
The cyclone lasted for five days in American Samoa and was designated by the United States Government as a major disaster on December 13, 1991. Western Samoa suffered more damage than American Samoa.[1][2] The cyclone devastated the islands with 150-mile-per-hour (240 km/h) winds and 50-foot (15 m) waves. The overall damages caused by Cyclone Val in American Samoa have been variously assessed. One estimate put the damages at $50 million in American Samoa and $200 million in Western Samoa due to damage to electrical, water, and telephone connections and destruction of various government buildings, schools, and houses.[3]
- ^ "Cyclone Wreaks Ruin in Samoa". The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. December 21, 1991. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Effect of Cyclone Val on areas proposed for inclusion in the National Park of American Samoa" (PDF). A report to the U.S. National Park Service. Botany.hawaii.edu. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
- ^ "Representing An Entire Country: American Samoa Government v. Affiliated FM Insurance". Shernoff. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.