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Severe Tropical Cyclone Erica (RSMC Nadi designation: 10F, JTWC designation: 23P) of March 2003 was a powerful cyclone that severely affected New Caledonia and was considered the worst to affect the country since Cyclone Beti. The system was the eighth cyclone and the fifth severe tropical cyclone of the 2002-03 South Pacific cyclone season. Cyclone Erica developed from a monsoonal trough on 4 March just off of Queensland. Originally, the storm moved slowly towards the east and then north early in its existence. However, increasing wind shear caused the storm to be degenerated into a tropical low. After conditions once again became more favorable for development, the remnants regenerated into a tropical cyclone on 10 March. Steadily intensifying, Erica reached peak intensity on 13 March as a Category 5 equivalent on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. On the same day Erica paralleled the coast of New Caledonia before making landfall on the southern end of the island at L'Île-des-Pins. However, at the same time the cyclone also entered an area with strong wind shear and thus began to weaken. After passing the island, an extratropical transition begun, weakening the cyclone as it moved towards the southeast. On 15 March, Erica completed its transition into an extratropical cyclone and later fully dissipated the next day. Cyclone Erica severely impacted the island nation of New Caledonia, causing intense winds and heavy rain. An estimated 892 families were affected by the cyclone on the island, and two people were killed. As many as 60% of people on the west coast lost power. On 17 March only 17 of the 66 secondary schools on the island were functioning. After the storm it was feared that the existing dengue fever epidemic on the island would spread. Erica caused $15 million (2003 USD) in damages, primarily on New Caledonia. Following the deaths and damage, the name "Erica" was later retired. ==Meteorological history== The origins of Cyclone Erica can be traced back to a tropical low which developed within a monsoonal trough near the Tiwi Islands on 13 February. Two days later, the low moved inland near the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. After passing south of Alice Springs, the low turned east and entered the Coral Sea on 3 March 2003. Strong wind shear separated the convection from the system at the time. However, shear quickly weakened the next day. With the lower shear, the low was able to intensify and at 0630 UTC on 4 March, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a tropical cyclone formation alert. Despite the center of the storm being elongated, conditions for further development were present. At 0600 UTC the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia upgraded the low to a Category 1 cyclone and gave it the name ''Erica''.〔 As Erica moved towards the south and subsequently to the north, the cyclone strengthened, becoming equivalent to a tropical storm according to the JTWC by 1500 UTC on 5 March.〔 Erica later attained maximum sustained winds of 105 km/h (65 mph 1-minute sustained). However the system began to move against the direction of the wind shear environment, and it lost much of its organization. On 7 March at 2230 UTC, Erica lost cyclone status and degenerated into a tropical low. The remnant circulation moved slowly to the northeast, and the wind shear conditions abated. As a result, Erica began to gain some signs of organization. At this time the remnants moved towards the southeast as a result of an upper–level trough developing over Australia. The area of low pressure gained sufficient shower activity and organization to be renamed as a tropical cyclone at 1800 UTC on 10 March while located southwest of the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara. Erica gradually intensified, attaining the equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS) Originally moving to the southeast at a slow pace, Erica began to accelerate due to the influence of weak mid–level ridge to its east. Continuing to intensify, the cyclone reached its peak intensity on 13 March with a minimum barometric pressure of , and peak winds of 260 km/h (150 mph 1-minute sustained). The eye of the cyclone began to shrink in diameter and become symmetrical. Later on 13 March, Erica began to parallel the western coast of New Caledonia while maintaining a strong intensity, before crossing the extreme southern end of the island at the Caledonian island commune of L'Île-des-Pins.〔 After passing the island, Erica accelerated and began to rapidly weaken in the presence of strong wind shear. As a result, the cyclone began a phase of extratropical transition as it quickly paced to the southeast. On 15 March, Erica completed this transition. The remnant low continued to the east–southeast, before the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited office at Wellington, New Zealand (TCWC Wellington) issued their last advisory on Erica at 1800 UTC on 16 March.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cyclone Erica」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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