Cyclone Harold
Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold was a very powerful tropical cyclone which caused widespread destruction in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga during April 2020. It was the first Category 5 tropical cyclone in 2020. The seventh named storm of the 2019–20 Australian region cyclone season, eighth tropical cyclone, and fourth severe tropical cyclone of the 2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season, Harold was first noted as a developing tropical low within a trough of low pressure during April 1, while it was located to the east of Papua New Guinea. Over the next day, the system moved south-eastwards over the Solomon Sea, before it was classified as a tropical cyclone and named Harold by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The system moved into the Fiji Meteorological Service's area of responsibility on April 2 and began to explosively intensify by April 3, reaching Category 4 status by April 4 on both the Australian scale and Saffir–Simpson scale. The next day, it further strengthened into a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, the highest rating on the Australian scale. It made landfall on Espiritu Santo on April 6, near peak strength. Shortly afterward, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded it to a Category 5-equivalent cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale. It maintained this status for only six hours before being downgraded back to Category 4 on the Australian scale. However, on approach to Fiji, Harold began to briefly re-intensify and re-gained Category 5 status while passing almost directly over Kadavu Island. Weakening resumed shortly afterward and it became an extratropical cyclone later on April 10.

Harold was the first Category 5 severe tropical cyclone to occur in the South Pacific basin since Cyclone Gita in 2018 and was also the second-strongest tropical cyclone to ever affect Vanuatu, behind Cyclone Pam in 2015. Harold was responsible for a humanitarian crisis in much of Vanuatu reminiscent of what occurred from Pam in 2015 with entire villages destroyed and the city of Luganville largely impacted as well. The country of Fiji was not spared either, with FJD$28.4 million (US$12.5 million) of infrastructure being lost. One of the other island countries effected, Tonga, had also been incurred a significant damage toll. In total, 27 people died on the "MV Taimareho" (in the Solomon Islands), 3 died in Vanatu, and 1 died in Fiji.
Q8092
tropical cyclone
Concept
Q685
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LOC
Q686
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LOC
Q712
Fiji
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Q678
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LOC
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UNK
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2019–20 Australian region cyclone season
UNK
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2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season
Concept
Q691
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LOC
Q199479
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LOC
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ORG
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Cyclone Harold
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