Formed March 26, 1993 Damage $5 million (1993 USD) Fatalities 3 | Dissipated April 6, 1993 | |
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Highest winds 10-minute sustained: 185 km/h (115 mph)1-minute sustained: 230 km/h (145 mph) Lowest pressure 940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg Date 26 March 1993 – 6 April 1993 Similar Cyclone Esau, Cyclone Sose, Cyclone Tia, Cyclone Trina, Cyclone Joni | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Prema was among the worst tropical cyclones to hit Vanuatu since 1987's Cyclone Uma. The twenty-third storm of the season, Prema formed early on March 26, 1993 as a weak tropical depression.
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Meteorological history
During March 25, the Fiji Meteorological Service reported that a tropical depression, had developed within an otherwise inactive monsoon trough, about 200 km (125 mi) to the west of the Fijian dependency of Rotuma. During the next day the system initially moved north-westwards, before it turned and moved south-westwards as it organised and developed further.
During that day the depression moved towards the northwest, before it turned and started to move towards the southwest during March 26 as it gradually developed further. During March 27, both TCWC Nadi and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported that the depression had developed into a tropical cyclone with Nadi naming it as Prema.
Preparations and impact
Severe Tropical Cyclone Prema was the first named tropical cyclone to affect Vanuatu, after six systems had affected the archipelago during the previous season. Prema affected the island nation between March 29 – 30, where it caused extensive damage parts of Shefa Province, including on Epi, Efate and the Shepherd Islands.
Due to the impact of this system, the name Prema was subsequently retired, by the World Meteorological Organization's RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee.