1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season
South Pacific tropical cyclone season

The 1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season was a slightly-below average South Pacific tropical cyclone season, with 6 tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific Ocean basin between 160°E and 120°W during the season. After this season, the names Gyan and Isaac were retired from the lists of names, after they caused significant impacts to South Pacific island nations.
During the season, tropical cyclones were monitored by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centers in Nadi, Fiji, Brisbane, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand. During the season TCWC Nadi issued warnings and assigned names to any tropical cyclones that developed between the Equator and 25°S while TCWC Wellington issued warnings for any that were located to the south of 25°S. The United States Armed Forces through the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (NPMOC), also monitored the basin and issued unofficial warnings for American interests. TCWC Nadi, Brisbane and Wellington measured sustained windspeeds over a 10-minute which are compared to the modern day Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. The JTWC and the NPMOC measured sustained windspeeds over a 1-minute period which are compared to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS).
Seasonal summary
Systems
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gyan
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gyan existed from December 18 to December 29.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hettie
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hettie existed from January 24 to February 1.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Abigail
Severe Tropical Cyclone Abigail existed from February 1 to February 7.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Isaac
The tropical cyclone developed 160 km/100 mi northeast of western Samoa and travelled southwest at 12 knots, moving through the Ha'apai island group and only 50 km/30 mi northwest of Tongatapu.
The public source identifies “1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season” as south Pacific tropical cyclone season. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around South, Pacific and cyclone.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season”, the useful work is to connect “south Pacific tropical cyclone season” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16156156. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1981.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season primary sources, 1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season archive and South research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.