The following is a list of all reported tropical cyclones within the South Pacific Ocean, to the east of 160°E, from 1900 to 1940.
Background Ancient Polynesians and others who inhabited the tropical Pacific before the Europeans arrived, knew of and feared the hurricanes of the South Pacific. They were keen and accurate observers of nature and developed various myths and legends, which reflected their knowledge of these systems. For example, the people of Mangaia in the Cook Islands had over 30 different names for the wind direction including Maoaketa, which indicated that a cyclonic storm existed to the west of the island. During the 1700s, Captain James Cook conducted three voyages within the Pacific Ocean and it is thought that he did not collect any information about or experience any tropical cyclones. Europeans that followed Cook soon realised that the South Pacific was not free of hurricanes and were the first to publish accounts about the systems.
During 1853, Thomas Dobson became the first person to collate information about these systems, in order to attempt to understand and explain the characteristics of 24 tropical cyclones. However, these descriptions were considered to be vague and of little value, because he only had a small amount of data and no synoptic weather charts. Over the next 40 years various reports, journals and log books on the storms were published before E Knipping consolidated these reports and extended Dobson's list out to 120 tropical cyclones during 1893. During the 1920s Stephen Sargent Visher did some research into tropical cyclones in the Pacific and visited several island nations; including Fiji, Japan and the Philippines to obtain information on potential systems. He also consulted various journals and reports as well as Dobson's and Knipping's work, before he authored a number of papers on tropical cyclones in the Pacific. These papers contained information about 259 tropical storms in the South Pacific between 160°E and 140°W, two of which occurred during 1789 and 1819, while the rest occurred between 1830 and 1923. Visher also tried to estimate how many systems were occurring on an annual basis in each area, but overcompensated for his incomplete records and came up with a figure of 12 severe tropical cyclones per year. During Visher's time and until the start of World War II, there was insufficient information available to allow for an accurate deception of tropical cyclone tracks.
Systems 1900–09 February 4, 1900 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. February 1900 - A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's southeastern islands, where it caused flooding in Labasa and generated a tidal wave that impacted the island of Ono. Various small vessels were wrecked, while 1 person drowned and considerable damage was done onshore. March 12, 1900 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. April 2 – 3, 1900 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga's island group of Vava'u. April 12, 1900 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. January 20, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu and caused an estimated 150 thousand francs worth of damage. January 27, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. January 27, 1901 – A tropical cyclone existed to the east of Tonga. March 13 – 14, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. April 2, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. December 22, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia's Society Islands, where it destroyed a large part of the Papeete quays. December 26, 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Rewa Province. 1901 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu and destroyed Martyr's memorial church. December 30, 1902 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. January 14 – 15, 1903 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia's Tuamotu Islands, where 517 people were killed, 2 schooners were lost and 83 cutters were demolished. January 17, 1903 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. February 14, 1903 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. February 1903 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and American Samoa. March 3 – 6, 1903 – A tropical cyclone moved westwards from the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. April 10, 1903 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. January 21 – 22, 1904 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji, where a storm surge was recorded in Navau. February 21 – 22, 1904 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. January 6, 1905 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. January 20, 1905 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. January 1905 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Southern Cook Islands. March 23 – 26, 1905 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia, where it caused 8 deaths and severe damage. March 1905 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Northern Cook Islands. February 6 – 8, 1906 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia as well as the Northern and Southern Cook Islands, where it caused more than 150 deaths and extensive damage, before heading towards the Gambier Islands. March 19 – 20, 1906 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. February 1907 – A tropical cyclone caused significant damage to the French steamboat Frane, while impacting Vanuatu and New Caledonia. April 11, 1907 – A tropical cyclone was located near the island of Futuna in Vanuatu. December 1907 – A tropical cyclone is thought to have impacted the Solomon Islands during December 1907, as it was followed by a shortage of food. January 9, 1908 – A tropical cyclone was located to the east of Vanua Levu and the south-east of the Lau Islands. March 23, 1908 – A tropical cyclone impacted western and southern Viti Levu, where it killed two people. March 24, 1908 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. March 25, 1909 – A tropical cyclone impacted the whole of Fiji. April 13, 1909 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga, which caused some damage to coconuts and plantations.
1910s March 22 – 29, 1910 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand. December 31, 1910 – A tropical cyclone existed to the east of Tonga. January 5, 1911 – A tropical cyclone existed near Tonga. January 1911 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu. February 22 – 23, 1911 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. May 2, 1911 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu. December 22, 1911 – A tropical cyclone passed to the south of Fiji. January 28 – 30, 1912 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji and Tonga. February 2 – 9, 1913 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji and Tonga. March 17 – 18, 1913 – A tropical cyclone existed to the southeast of Fiji, where it impacted Taevuni and Suva. March 21, 1913 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. April 13, 1913 – A tropical cyclone impacted American Samoa. April 16, 1913 – A tropical cyclone was located between Fiji and Tonga. December 28, 1913 – A tropical cyclone passed to the east of Tonga. January 7, 1914 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tokelau as well as the Cook Islands. March 13, 1914 – The S.S. Ventura encountered a tropical cyclone within Fiji's Lau Islands about to the east of Suva. March 25, 1914 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. December 24, 1914 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. 1914 – A tropical cyclone impacted Kiribati and Tuvalu. January 13, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted Niue. January 16 – 18, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. January 18, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan Islands. February 12, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted American Samoa. February 26, 1915 – A tropical cyclone was located to the south of Fiji. March 20, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. April 26 – 28, 1915 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. January 5 – 9, 1916 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu and New Caledonia. January 9, 1916 – A tropical cyclone passed about to the south of Suva in Fiji. January 1916 – A tropical cyclone caused damage to banana and coconut plantations in the Solomon Islands. February 10, 1916 – A tropical cyclone was located to the west of New Caledonia. August 2, 1916 – A tropical cyclone was located near Norfolk Island. February 14 – 15, 1917 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. March 28 – 31, 1917 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. June 23, 1917 – A tropical cyclone was located near Norfolk Island. December 1 – 5, 1917 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia from the west. November 11, 1917 – A tropical cyclone was located near the island of Tongoa. December 13 – 23, 1917 – A tropical cyclone impacted Australia, Fiji and New Caledonia. February 12 – 14, 1918 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. March 1, 1918 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. March 16 – 20, 1918 – A tropical cyclone was located near New Caledonia. March 18, 1918 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. March 25 – 28, 1918 – A tropical cyclone was located near New Caledonia. November 11, 1918 – A tropical cyclone impacted Vanuatu. January 12 – 15, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. January 25 – 30, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. January 29, 1919 – A tropical cyclone passed to the south of Fiji. February 9, 1919 – A tropical cyclone moved southwest through Fiji's Yasawa group of islands. February 10, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. February 11 – 14, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island, after moving away from the Queensland Coast. March 15 – 19, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. March 28, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. April 14 – 19, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. June 2, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. July 28, 1919 – A tropical cyclone was located between Queensland and New Caledonia. October 28 – 30, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. October 29 – 30, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. December 29 – 30, 1919 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia.
1920s January 15 – 18, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted Tonga. January 18 – 19, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted Niue. January 24, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. February 11 – 14, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. February 24, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji. March 3 – 4, 1920 – A tropical cyclone moved south-eastwards in between Fiji and Tonga. March 15 – 18, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia. March 23 – 27, 1920 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. January 13, 1921 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island. January 31, 1921 – A tropical cyclone was located to the south of New Caledonia. February 13, 1921 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji and New Caledonia. February 13, 1921 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji's Lau Islands. August 20, 1921 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia's Marquesas Islands. October 2 – 6, 1921 – A tropical cyclone was located between Queensland and New Caledonia. November 23, 1921 – A tropical cyclone was located near the islands of Luganville and Canal Segond in Vanuatu. December 11, 1921 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. January 19 – 24, 1922 – A tropical cyclone impacted New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. February 3–4, 1922 – A tropical cyclone was located near Vanuatu. February 25 – 26, 1922 – A tropical cyclone was located near Vanuatu. February 25, 1922 – A tropical cyclone impacted Norfolk Island as it moved south-southeastwards from New Caledonia. February 1922 – A tropical cyclone impacted French Polynesia's Marquesas Islands. December 17 – 23, 1922 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. January 29, 1923 – A tropical cyclone impacted the whole of Fiji. January 29 – February 4, 1923 – A tropical cyclone passed over New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand. February 1 – 5, 1923 – A tropical cyclone was located to the north of New Zealand's Kermadic Islands.