During June 7, the
Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) reported that a weak tropical low had emerged from the
South Pacific Convergence Zone, to the northeast of the New Zealand territory of
Tokelau. Over the next couple of days, the low gradually developed further as it was steered slowly westwards by mid-level easterly winds, into an area of strong upper-level diffulence and an abnormal area of high sea-surface temperatures. Six hours later, the FMS named the system Keli after it had developed into a
category 1 tropical cyclone on the
Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, while it was located about to the northeast of the island of
Niulakita in
Tuvalu. After being named, the system moved south-westwards towards Niulakita as it continued to gradually intensify becoming a
category 2 tropical cyclone, before it passed just to the north of the island at about 03:00
UTC (15:00 TVT) on June 11. As Keli approached Niulakita, its general movement slowed down and it performed a clockwise cyclonic loop to the north of the island, while a mid-level trough of low pressure approached the system from the west. As a result of its slow movement keeping the system in an area of low vertical windshear, Keli continued to intensify with a cloud-filled eye appearing on satellite imagery. During June 12, the system accelerated south-eastwards and started to pose a threat to the French territory of
Wallis and Futuna as it passed in between Niulakita and
Nukulaelae. Twelve hours later, the NPMOC reported that Keli had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of , which made it equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. After it had peaked in intensity, Keli encountered higher levels of vertical windshear which caused it to start to weaken and transition into an extratropical cyclone, before it passed about to the west of
Wallis during June 13. After the system had passed to the west of Wallis, Keli continued to move south-eastwards and weakened into a category 2 tropical cyclone, before it passed about to the north of
Niuatoputopu in northern
Tonga and to the northeast of the island nation of
Niue during June 14. Later that day, the system's remnants passed near the island of
Mauke in the
Southern Cook Islands at about 12:00 UTC (02:00
Cook Islands Time), before they were last noted by New Zealand's
MetService during June 17, as they moved past 120°W about to the southeast of
Adamstown in the
Pitcairn Islands. ==Effects==