to have had gale-force winds, they did not upgrade the depression to a tropical cyclone since the strongest winds were well removed from the center. Shortly after reaching this intensity, wind shear displaced convection to the east of the cyclone and the storm weakened. Continued shearing of the system left the low-level center fully exposed by February 26 and prompted the JTWC to issue their final warning on the depression. The weakening system was last noted later that day moving southward over open waters. Tropical Cyclone Des Following a pattern similar to the formation of Cyclone Claudia, Des formed out of an area of disturbed weather east of Australia in late February. The precursor system formed at the same time as the initial disturbance which developed into Typhoon Mitag in the northwestern Pacific. By March 4, sufficient development had taken place to classify the system as a tropical depression and a tropical cyclone early the next day. During March 5, Des underwent a brief period of rapid intensification, attaining its peak strength of 60 mph (95 km/h) with a minimum pressure of 985 mbar (hPa; ). Initially, the storm was forecast to impact New Caledonia; however, a mid-level ridge to the northeast forced the system to the southeast, sparing the island of a direct hit. Due to the storm's proximity to the mountains of New Caledonia and less favorable environmental conditions, Des began to weaken on March 6. The following day, the storm was devoid of convection, marking its degeneration into a remnant low-pressure system. The remnants of Des were monitored for a few more days before they dissipated south of Fiji. Since Des remained off the coast of New Caledonia, the storm's strongest winds did not impact land; however, weather stations along the coast measured winds of . No damage was reported in relation to Cyclone Des. Tropical Depression 13F (19P) Early on March 13, a persistent area of convection, accompanied by a weak low-level circulation, was noted roughly 520 km (325 mi) west of Vanuatu. Situated underneath an upper-level ridge, the system experienced weak to moderate shear and had a favorable outflow. Later that day, the FMS began monitoring the system as Tropical Depression 13F. Early on March 14, the JTWC issued a TCFA and later their first advisory on Tropical Storm 19P as deep convection increased in coverage and organization around the low. The system tracked generally