Cyclones in Australia

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Tropical cyclones can be found in Australia between November and April. Most cyclones appear both at the northwest coast and northeast coast. The most effected regions are between Exmout and Brome in Western Australia and between Port Douglas and Maryborough in Queensland. In average there are 10 cyclones per year which occur offshore around Australia. But only six of them hit the coastline. In general, the whole north coast of Australia can be affected by cyclones.

Australians called it a cyclone; other countries say typhoon or hurricane. Anyway, you shouldn’t be around when such an extreme weather occurs. A cyclone brings severe winds and massive rainfalls which often resulted into heavy flooding. Houses and properties get wrecked and everyone has to fear for one’s life.

A cyclone develops above the warm waters (over 26.5ºC) of an ocean and is a low pressure system with an eye or centre. The wind speed around the eye can be 90 km/h or more, in severe cases up to unbelievable 360 km/h. Widespread wind damage occurs sometime hundred of kilometres away from the centre of the cyclone. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has categorized the cyclones by severity which is based on the maximum wind force.

Category 1
Tropical cyclone
Wind speed: less than 125 km/h

Category 2
Tropical cyclone
Wind speed: 125 – 164 km/h

Category 3
Severe tropical cyclone
Wind speed: 165 – 224 km/h

Category 4
Severe tropical cyclone
Wind speed: 225 – 279 km/h

Category 5
Severe tropical cyclone
Wind speed: more than 280 km/h

The common diameter size of the eye is around 40 km, but it varies from under 10 km to over 100 km. The cyclone gets its power from the warm ocean and slows down when hitting the land. The system carries a massive amount of water which can cause heavy rain and extreme flooding. Sometimes the rain moves inland to the southern parts of Australia, downgraded as a tropical low.

Rain and flooding across the country is one thing, but a cyclone can produce an extraordinary high sea level caused by devastating winds. Those results often in severe coastal erosion and vessels are at risk. For example: Seven people died when two fishing trawlers were sunk by cyclone Bobby off the coast near Onslow in Western Australia in 1995.

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