 Cyclone Gavin near its peak intensity on March 8 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 2, 1997 |
| Extratropical | March 10, 1997 |
| Dissipated | March 14, 1997 |
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | |
| 10-minute sustained (FMS) | |
| Highest winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 925 hPa (mbar); 27.32 inHg |
| Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 220 km/h (140 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 18 |
| Damage | $24.93 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, New Zealand |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1996–97 South Pacific cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gavin was the most intense tropical cyclone to affect Fiji, since Cyclone Oscar of the 1982–83 cyclone season and was the first of three tropical cyclones to affect the island nations of Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna during the 1996–97 season. The system that was to become Gavin was first identified during March 2, as a weak tropical depression that had developed within the monsoon trough of low pressure. Over the next two days the depression gradually developed further, before it was named Gavin by RSMC Nadi early on March 4 as it had developed into a tropical cyclone.