This is storm KERRY that was active in 1979 in the S. Pacific region with maximum winds of 194 km/h.

What was the maximum intensity of the storm?

Max Wind: 194 km/h. Min Pressure: hPa.

storm KERRY (1979) - Track and intensity details

Name: storm KERRY
Start: 1979-02-11
End: 1979-03-05
Location: S. Pacific

KERRY (1979)

Storm Code: 1979042S05170 | Region: S. Pacific
Active from 11/02/1979 to 05/03/1979 (23 days)

194 km/h

1-min Wind (JTWC)

Level 16

185 km/h

10-min Wind (BOM)

Level 16

945 hPa

Min Pressure

5,901 km

Distance

Forecast Agencies

Agency	Max Intensity	Trajectory	Energy	highest_classification
JTWC	194	~	262	5,888	135.07	201.68	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
DS824	194	~	262	5,888	135.07	201.68	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
TD9636	194	~	262	5,901	83.28	120.50	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
BOM (Australia)	185	945	241	5,489	127.04	180.40	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
NEUMANN	194	945	241	5,481	126.39	188.66	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
WMO (International)	185	945	74	4,780	2.64	2.54	Level 16 - Super Typhoon
WELLINGTON	157	945	229	4,737	90.65	114.78	Level 14 - Violent Storm

Agency

Max Intensity

Trajectory

Energy

highest_classification

Max Wind (km/h)

Min Pressure (hPa)

Number of points

Distance (km)

ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)

PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)

JTWC

194

262

5,888

135.07

201.68

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

DS824

194

262

5,888

135.07

201.68

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

TD9636

194

262

5,901

83.28

120.50

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

BOM (Australia)

185

945

241

5,489

127.04

180.40

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

NEUMANN

194

945

241

5,481

126.39

188.66

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

WMO (International)

185

945

4,780

2.64

2.54

Level 16 - Super Typhoon

WELLINGTON

157

945

229

4,737

90.65

114.78

Level 14 - Violent Storm

Advanced Meteorological Indices by Agency Automatically calculated from raw data

JTWC

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	135.07	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	201.68
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+9 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-4 km/h
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	10.9 km/h
Tracking Time	540h (22.5 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	492h (20.5d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	256h (10.7d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	07:00 17/02/1979 -13.9°N, 157.6°E
Latitude	-23°N – -4.8°N (18.2°)
Longitude	147.4°E – 170.1°E (22.7°)

DS824

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	135.07	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	201.68
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+9 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-4 km/h
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	10.9 km/h
Tracking Time	540h (22.5 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	492h (20.5d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	256h (10.7d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	07:00 17/02/1979 -13.9°N, 157.6°E
Latitude	-23°N – -4.8°N (18.2°)
Longitude	147.4°E – 170.1°E (22.7°)

TD9636

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	83.28	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	120.50
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+7 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-4 km/h
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	10.9 km/h
Tracking Time	540h (22.5 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	300h (12.5d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	147h (6.1d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	07:00 19/02/1979 -17.2°N, 157.4°E
Latitude	-23°N – -4.8°N (18.2°)
Longitude	147.4°E – 170.1°E (22.7°)

BOM (Australia)

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	127.04	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	180.40
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+9 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-15 km/h
Pressure Variation
Max Pressure Drop/Step	-2 hPa
Max Pressure Drop/24h	-15 hPa
Max Pressure Rise/Step (weakening)	+2 hPa
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	11.4 km/h
Tracking Time	480h (20 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	450h (18.8d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	268h (11.2d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	06:00 20/02/1979 -18.9°N, 155.5°E
Latitude	-21.5°N – -8.1°N (13.4°)
Longitude	147.4°E – 170.1°E (22.7°)

NEUMANN

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	126.39	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	188.66
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+9 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-4 km/h
Pressure Variation
Max Pressure Drop/Step	-2 hPa
Max Pressure Drop/24h	-15 hPa
Max Pressure Rise/Step (weakening)	+2 hPa
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	11.4 km/h
Tracking Time	480h (20 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	440h (18.3d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	250h (10.4d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	07:00 19/02/1979 -17.2°N, 157.6°E
Latitude	-21.5°N – -8.1°N (13.4°)
Longitude	147.6°E – 170.3°E (22.7°)

WMO (International)

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	2.64	Low
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	2.54
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+37 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+46 km/h	Fast
Max Wind Loss/Step	-28 km/h
Pressure Variation
Max Pressure Drop/Step	-10 hPa
Max Pressure Drop/24h	-15 hPa
Max Pressure Rise/Step (weakening)	+3 hPa
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	10.5 km/h
Tracking Time	455h (19 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	425h (17.7d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	228h (9.5d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	06:00 20/02/1979 -18.9°N, 155.5°E
Latitude	-21.4°N – -8.2°N (13.2°)
Longitude	147.4°E – 166.3°E (18.9°)

WELLINGTON RI

Energy
ACE (10⁴ (km/h)²)	90.65	Very High
PDI (10⁶ (km/h)³)	114.78
Intensification / Weakening
Max Wind Gain/Step	+9 km/h
Max Wind Gain/24h	+56 km/h	RI
Max Wind Loss/Step	-9 km/h
Pressure Variation
Max Pressure Drop/Step	-7 hPa
Max Pressure Drop/24h	-35 hPa	RI
Max Pressure Rise/Step (weakening)	+6 hPa
Movement & Duration
Avg Movement Speed	10.4 km/h
Tracking Time	456h (19 days)
Time as TD+ (≥34kt)	389h (16.2d)
Time as Storm+ (≥64kt)	208h (8.7d)
Peak Intensity & Range
Peak Intensity	19:00 17/02/1979 -15°N, 157.5°E
Latitude	-21.5°N – -7.8°N (13.7°)
Longitude	146.9°E – 166°E (19.1°)

Advanced Indices Legend

ACE: Accumulated Cyclone Energy - measures total storm activity

PDI: Power Dissipation Index - measures potential destructiveness

RI: Rapid Intensification - when wind increases >=30 kt/24h or pressure drops >=30 hPa/24h

Countries with Direct Landfall

🏳️ Australia

WMO 102 km/h Level 10

-20.30°, 149.02° 1979-02-28 22:51:12

JTWC 83 km/h Level 9

-20.30°, 148.77° 1979-03-01 00:19:30

DS824 83 km/h Level 9

-20.30°, 148.77° 1979-03-01 00:19:30

TD9636 74 km/h Level 8

-20.28°, 148.75° 1979-03-01 00:27:46

BOM 102 km/h Level 10

-20.27°, 148.74° 1979-03-01 00:58:21

MetService NZ 72 km/h Level 8

-20.46°, 148.87° 1979-03-01 01:17:10

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

BOM 130 km/h Level 12

-10.21°, 161.40° 1979-02-15 02:28:53

Values are interpolated at landfall time and may differ from actual data.

Index	Meaning	Formula / Condition	Classification
ACE Accumulated Cyclone Energy	Accumulated Cyclone Energy. Measures the total energy generated by the storm during its lifetime. Only counts reports with wind ≥ 35 kt (TS level or higher).	`ACE = Σ(V_max²) / 10&sup4;` Unit: 10⁴ kt²	< 2: Low 2-6: Medium 6-15: High ≥ 15: Very High
PDI Power Dissipation Index	Power Dissipation Index. More sensitive than ACE to extremely strong storms due to using cubic power. Reflects potential destructive power.	`PDI = Σ(V_max&sup³;) / 10&sup6;` Unit: 10⁶ kt³	Higher value = greater cumulative destructive power
RI Rapid Intensification	Rapid Intensification - storm strengthens suddenly in a short time. Very dangerous as it is difficult to forecast and causes surprise for prevention efforts.	Wind increase ≥ 30 kt/24h or Pressure drop ≥ 30 hPa/24h	Has RI or Fast increase (≥20kt)
Max wind gain/step	Maximum wind increase between 2 consecutive reports (usually 6 hours apart). Shows the fastest local intensification rate.	`max(V_i+1 - V_i)` Unit: kt (km/h)	Positive value = storm strengthening
Max wind gain/24h	Maximum wind increase in a 24-hour window. Main criterion for determining Rapid Intensification (RI).	`max(V_t+24h - V_t)` RI if ≥ 30 kt/24h	≥ 30kt: RI ≥ 20kt: Fast
Max wind loss/step	Maximum wind weakening between 2 consecutive reports. Shows at which stage the storm weakened fastest.	`max(V_i - V_i+1)` Unit: kt (km/h)	Positive value = storm weakening
Max pressure drop/step	Maximum pressure drop between 2 consecutive reports. Pressure decrease = storm center strengthening. Reflects local deepening rate.	`max(P_i - P_i+1)` Unit: hPa	Higher value = faster strengthening
Max pressure drop/24h	Maximum pressure drop in a 24-hour window. Important index for evaluating explosive deepening / explosive intensification.	`max(P_t - P_t+24h)` Explosive if ≥ 30 hPa	≥ 30hPa: RI ≥ 20hPa: Strong
Max pressure rise/step	Maximum pressure rise between 2 consecutive reports. Pressure increase = storm weakening. Large value indicates rapid weakening (due to terrain interaction, landfall, etc.).	`max(P_i+1 - P_i)` Unit: hPa	Higher value = faster weakening
Average moving speed	Average moving speed of the storm center during the entire monitoring period by that agency.	`V_avg = S_total / T_total` Unit: kt (km/h)	Slow-moving storms (<15 km/h) usually cause prolonged heavy rain
Monitoring duration	Total time from first report to last report of that agency.	`T = t_end - t_start` Unit: hours (days)	Different agencies may monitor for different durations
TS+ Duration	Total hours with average wind ≥ 34 kt (Tropical Storm level or higher). Reflects how long the storm maintained significant intensity.	Average wind ≥ 34 kt	Longer storm = greater total damage
TY+ Duration	Total hours with average wind ≥ 64 kt (Typhoon level or higher). Storms maintaining this level longer have much greater destructive power.	Average wind ≥ 64 kt	Longer time at Typhoon level = more dangerous
Peak Intensity	Time and location (lat, lon) when the storm reached maximum wind according to each agency. Helps identify where the storm was strongest.	V_max = max(V_i)	Peak location helps assess danger for nearby areas
Latitude / Longitude	Spatial range of activity by latitude and longitude. Shows whether the storm affected area is wide or narrow.	min-max(lat), min-max(lon)	Large range = long trajectory, wide impact

Index

Meaning

Formula / Condition

Classification

ACE
Accumulated Cyclone Energy

Accumulated Cyclone Energy. Measures the total energy generated by the storm during its lifetime. Only counts reports with wind ≥ 35 kt (TS level or higher).

ACE = Σ(V_max²) / 10&sup4;
Unit: 10⁴ kt²

< 2: Low
2-6: Medium
6-15: High
≥ 15: Very High

PDI
Power Dissipation Index

Power Dissipation Index. More sensitive than ACE to extremely strong storms due to using cubic power. Reflects potential destructive power.

PDI = Σ(V_max&sup³;) / 10&sup6;
Unit: 10⁶ kt³

Higher value = greater cumulative destructive power

RI
Rapid Intensification

Rapid Intensification - storm strengthens suddenly in a short time. Very dangerous as it is difficult to forecast and causes surprise for prevention efforts.

Wind increase ≥ 30 kt/24h or Pressure drop ≥ 30 hPa/24h

Has RI or
Fast increase (≥20kt)

Max wind gain/step

Maximum wind increase between 2 consecutive reports (usually 6 hours apart). Shows the fastest local intensification rate.

max(V_i+1 - V_i)
Unit: kt (km/h)

Positive value = storm strengthening

Max wind gain/24h

Maximum wind increase in a 24-hour window. Main criterion for determining Rapid Intensification (RI).

max(V_t+24h - V_t)
RI if ≥ 30 kt/24h

≥ 30kt: RI
≥ 20kt: Fast

Max wind loss/step

Maximum wind weakening between 2 consecutive reports. Shows at which stage the storm weakened fastest.

max(V_i - V_i+1)
Unit: kt (km/h)

Positive value = storm weakening

Max pressure drop/step

Maximum pressure drop between 2 consecutive reports. Pressure decrease = storm center strengthening. Reflects local deepening rate.

max(P_i - P_i+1)
Unit: hPa

Higher value = faster strengthening

Max pressure drop/24h

Maximum pressure drop in a 24-hour window. Important index for evaluating explosive deepening / explosive intensification.

max(P_t - P_t+24h)
Explosive if ≥ 30 hPa

≥ 30hPa: RI
≥ 20hPa: Strong

Max pressure rise/step

Maximum pressure rise between 2 consecutive reports. Pressure increase = storm weakening. Large value indicates rapid weakening (due to terrain interaction, landfall, etc.).

max(P_i+1 - P_i)
Unit: hPa

Higher value = faster weakening

Average moving speed

Average moving speed of the storm center during the entire monitoring period by that agency.

V_avg = S_total / T_total
Unit: kt (km/h)

Slow-moving storms (<15 km/h) usually cause prolonged heavy rain

Monitoring duration

Total time from first report to last report of that agency.

T = t_end - t_start
Unit: hours (days)

Different agencies may monitor for different durations

TS+ Duration

Total hours with average wind ≥ 34 kt (Tropical Storm level or higher). Reflects how long the storm maintained significant intensity.

Average wind ≥ 34 kt

Longer storm = greater total damage

TY+ Duration

Total hours with average wind ≥ 64 kt (Typhoon level or higher). Storms maintaining this level longer have much greater destructive power.

Average wind ≥ 64 kt

Longer time at Typhoon level = more dangerous

Peak Intensity

Time and location (lat, lon) when the storm reached maximum wind according to each agency. Helps identify where the storm was strongest.

V_max = max(V_i)

Peak location helps assess danger for nearby areas

Latitude / Longitude

Spatial range of activity by latitude and longitude. Shows whether the storm affected area is wide or narrow.

min-max(lat), min-max(lon)

Large range = long trajectory, wide impact

KERRY (1979)

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Advanced Meteorological Indices by Agency Automatically calculated from raw data

Advanced Indices Legend

Countries with Direct Landfall

KERRY

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KERRY (1979)

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Comparison Storms 0

Weather Agencies (7 sources)

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Quick Stats

Agency Data Comparison

Indices Legend

Advanced Meteorological Indices by Agency Automatically calculated from raw data

Advanced Indices Legend

Countries with Direct Landfall

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