Rarotonga, Too,
p. 31 · Read in the full issue
Hurricane Season
Has Near-Miss
A TROPICAL storm developed over the Lower Cook Group dur ing the week-end of January 8-9, moving over Mauke and just south of Rarotonga. The pressure at the storm’s centre was 987 milli bars (29.00”) but in spite of this low pressure, which almost equalled that of the active hurricane then moving away from Fiji, the storm was described as “moderate.”
If, however, the low pressure area had developed rapidly instead of slowly and steadily; and if the storm’s path had moved a little more to the north, the Lower Group Islands would have experienced a hurricane.
Heavy seas developed around Rarotonga, swinging the bows of the reef trapped Rannah several de grees to the south, and snapping off the damaged rudder.
Rarotonga received 3.32 inches of rain in 13 hours, and Puka-Puka was swamped under 11.07 inches, which fell in 24 hours. There were also unusually heavy seas at Puka Puka, which reached the highest water marks, and caused the villag ers of Yato to transport their canoes and portable property to the more sheltered site of Roto settlement.