File:Lola 2023-10-23 2210Z.jpg

English: This true-color image of Severe Tropical Cyclone Lola over the South Pacific was captured on the morning of 24 October 2023 (locally), 23 October 2023 at 22:10 UTC, by the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) instrument flying aboard JMA's Himawari 9 spacecraft. Lola was a powerful early season tropical cyclone that is threatening Vanuatu. The first depression, the first named storm, and first severe tropical cyclone of the 2023-24 South Pacific cyclone season. It originated from a tropical disturbance near just south of the equator in late October, where it began its track in a southward direction toward Vanuatu. Lola is the first tropical cyclone to reach Category 4 or 5 in the South Pacific in the month of October since Xavier in 2006, and its also the third most intense off-season tropical cyclone aformentioned Xavier and Cyclone Donna in 2017. When this image was taken, Lola near its peak intensity marching southward toward Vanuatu. The intensity of the cyclone when this image was taken was winds of 205 km/h (130 mph) (110 knots) on the 10-min Fiji Meteorological Service cyclone scale, making it a Category 5 on the scale, and according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, it had 1-min sustained winds of 220 km/h (135 mph) (120 knots) making it equivalent to an powerful "Category 4 major hurricane," on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The official minimum central pressure (provided by the FMS) was 940 mbar (27.8 inHg) and its unofficial minimum pressure (provided by the JTWC) was 941 mbar (27.8 inHg)..