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January

An overview of the present climate in the tropical South Pacific Islands, with an outlook for the coming months, to assist in dissemination of climate information in the Pacific region.

Number 64 – January 2006

December’s climate

  • The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) extended from the Solomon Islands towards the Southern Cook Islands; high rainfall in parts of Fiji, northern Tonga, and French Polynesia
  • Suppressed convection occurred around the Date Line in the central equatorial Southwest Pacific; below average rainfall in New Caledonia and the Southern Cook Islands
  • Well above average air temperatures occurred in New Caledonia, Fiji, and central and southern French Polynesia

El Niño/Southern Oscillation and seasonal rainfall forecasts

  • The tropical Pacific remains in a neutral state with some features of a weak La Niña
  • Enhanced convection expected in the Southern Cook Islands
  • Below average rainfall likely in Western and Eastern Kiribati

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