CNN
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Surging tropical activity in the South Pacific Ocean produced a relatively rare occurrence Tuesday: three named tropical cyclones active at the same time: Alfred, Rae and Seru.
It’s the first time in four years the feat has happened in the region, the limits of which start east of Australia and extend about 5,000 miles from the Coral Sea through the South Pacific Ocean.
It last happened as the calendar flipped from January to February in 2021 when tropical cyclones Bina, Ana and Lucas all had sustained winds of at least 50 mph, according to a CNN analysis of NOAA’s historical tropical data.
Tropical cyclone is the catch-all term for the powerful, spinning storms that feed off warm oceans and the strength of which is determined by wind speeds. The strongest are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Western Pacific and simply tropical cyclones in the South Pacific.
The South Pacific’s season for them runs from November through April, but typically peaks from January to March, according to the Fiji Meteorological Service.
Early forecasts said the season could end up near-to-below average for named tropical cyclones due in part to the influence of La Niña.
So far, that forecast is panning out; this season has been less active than usual, so it’s quite notable that three cyclones are churning simultaneously.
The South Pacific isn’t the only place to encounter a burst of activity over the past year.
Three named storms churned simultaneously in the Atlantic basin in October. Hurricanes Kirk and Leslie were out in the open Atlantic early in the month while Tropical Storm Milton was in the Gulf. Milton would go on to rapidly intensify into a deadly Category 5 hurricane.
CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller contributed to this report.