 On January 5 , 1988 , the Fiji Meteorological Service ( FMS ) started to monitor a shallow tropical depression that developed within the monsoon trough about 540 km ( 335 mi ) northeast of Tuvalu . At around the same time , a twin depression developed within the Northern Hemisphere monsoon trough , which eventually became Typhoon Roy . Over the next two days the Southern Hemisphere system developed further as it was steered towards the south @-@ southwest along an area of high pressure , before it became equivalent to a tropical storm while passing through the Tuvaluan islands . As a result , the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 07P and started to issue advisories on it . After organized further , the FMS named the storm Anne after it became equivalent to a modern @-@ day Category 2 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale . On January 9 , the cyclone started to rapidly intensify while continuing to move towards the south @-@ southwest . Later that day , the JTWC upgraded the system to the equivalent of a Category 1 on the Saffir – Simpson hurricane wind scale ( SSHWS ) , and the FMS upgraded Anne to a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian Scale . Early on January 10 , the cyclone passed through Temotu Province and about 55 km ( 35 mi ) to the northwest of Anuta Island . 
