1999–00 Australian region cyclone season

Infobox hurricane season
Basin=Aus
Year=2000
Track=1999-2000 Australian cyclone season summary.jpg
First storm formed=December 9, 1999
Last storm dissipated=April 22, 2000
Strongest storm name=John
Strongest storm pressure=915
Strongest storm winds=110
Average wind speed=10
Total depressions=
Total storms=12
Total hurricanes=5
Total intense=
Fatalities=0
Da

Inflated=
five seasons=1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02 The 1999-00 Australian region cyclone season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation and ran from November 1, 1999 to April 30, 2000. The regional tropical cyclone operational plan also defines a "tropical cyclone year" separately from a "tropical cyclone season", with the "tropical cyclone year" for this season lasting from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000.

Two of the most notable cyclones of the season were Steve and Rosita. Cyclone Steve transversed the entire Australian continent, and although a fairly weak cyclone, caused widespread flooding in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, while Cyclone Rosita made an almost direct hit on Broome as a severe Category 5 cyclone, devastating several remote stations and the town itself. Rosita surprised many residents of its arrival, as it made landfall very late in the season.__TOC__

torms

The scope of this section is limited to tropical cyclones that existed in the Southern Hemisphere between longitudes 90°E and 160°E during the 1999-2000 season. Furthermore, storms are listed below in chronological order of naming. There are four warning centres in this region, each responsible for naming and warning for a small portion of the region, but this section does not list the storms by the area they formed in.

Tropical Cyclone Ilsa

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Ilsa 1999 track.pngFormed=December 10
Dissipated=December 17
10-min winds=55
1-min winds=60
Pressure=980Ilsa formed to the northeast of the Cocos Islands on the December 11, 1999. The cyclone moved to the south of Christmas Island on the 13th producing a heavy swell which caused some damage. Its development was impeded by vertical windshear for a large part of its lifetime. After a long track eastwards across the Indian Ocean it eventually crossed the Western Australian coastline on the Eighty Mile Beach near the Sandfire Roadhouse during the early afternoon of December 17, 1999. Apart from producing heavy rainfall, Ilsa did not produce any significant damage.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=BoM - WA Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 1999-00|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|accessdate=August 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/cyclone/about/seasonsummary199900.shtml]

evere Tropical Cyclone John

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Track=John 1999 track.pngFormed=December 10
Dissipated=December 15
10-min winds=110
1-min winds=130
Pressure=915Tropical Cyclone John started as a low to the south-west of Timor on 9 December 1999. It rapidly intensified and moved towards the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. Just before landfall it was a severe category 5 storm with a central pressure of 915 hPa, with winds estimated at being up to 290 km/h (180 mph). The cyclone crossed the coast just to the west of Whim Creek between Port Hedland and Karratha on 8:30 am (WST) December 15,1999. At the time of coastal crossing, it was estimated to have a central pressure between 930 and 940 hPa. The cyclone moved inland before dissipating the next day.

Port Hedland experienced gale force winds for a period of 18 hours and near storm force winds with gusts to 124 km/h (78 mph) were observed on December 15 for most of the day. A maximum storm surge of 2 metres was recorded by the Port Hedland Authority at 6am WST. At Karratha, on the western side of the circulation, the maximum wind gust recorded was 113 km/h (70 mph). At Cape Lambert, winds averaged 150 km/h (95 mph) for 5 hours with a maximum gust of 210 km/h (130 mph).

There was some minor damage in Karratha. High winds and flooding caused extensive structural damage at many stations in the Pilbara and mining operations were suspended at many sites. The 113-year old Whim Creek Hotel suffered major damage with the top floor lost, and the town of Newman experienced some flooding (500 mm (20 in) of rain was recorded). However, major towns in the Pilbara escaped any serious damage, and the damage was relatively light due to the sparseness of population in the area John hit. There were no deaths from John.cite web|author=Gary Padgett|title=MONTHLY GLOBAL TROPICAL CYCLONE SUMMARY - DECEMBER, 1999|accessdate=August 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2000/summ9912.htm]

Ten hours prior to landfall on the Australian coastline, John was moving southwards directly towards Karratha and Dampier. Had John failed to turn to the south-east like what it did, damage to the towns of Karratha, Dampier, Roebourne and Wickham caused by John would have been much worse.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=Report on John, Steve and Rosita|accessdate=August 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/cyclone/about/roebourne/john_steve_rosita.pdf]

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Track=Kirrily 2000 track.pngFormed=January 24
Dissipated=February 1
10-min winds=60
1-min winds=85
Pressure=975Tropical Cyclone Kirrily formed about 350 km (215 mi) east of the Cocos Islands on January 24, 2000 and moved west southwest towards the Western Australian coast. Kirrily intensified, reaching Category 2 status on January 27. On January 28, Kirrily turned southwest, moving away from the coast, weakening to below cyclone strength by January 31, while located approximately 900 km (560 mi) west of Carnarvon. The lowest central pressure was estimated to have reached 970 hPa.

evere Tropical Cyclone Leon-Eline

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Leon-Eline 2000 track.pngFormed=February 1
Dissipated=February 8
10-min winds=75
1-min winds=75
Pressure=960A developing low approximately 230 km (145 mi) south of Christmas Island on the 3rd February was named Leon on the 4th February. Following a general southwesterly track during the 5th and 6th, the system developed into a severe tropical cyclone with an estimated central pressure of 960 hPa. By the 8th, Tropical Cyclone Leon passed to the south of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=SIGNIFICANT WEATHER - FEBRUARY 2000|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|accessdate=August 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/public/sigwxsum/sigw0200.shtml] Leon was re-named Leon-Eline once it moved outside Perth's area of responsibility; for more information on Leon-Eline, see 1999-00 South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season.

Tropical Cyclone Marcia

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Formed=February 14
Dissipated=February 18
10-min winds=35
Pressure=995Marcia was a Category 1 cyclone that formed on February 15, and remained quasi-stationary in the open Indian Ocean at around 15˚S, 103˚E. Perth issued its final warning on February 17 at 0400 UTC, downgrading to a tropical low. Marcia dissipated on February 21. The lowest central pressure was 992 hPa achieved on February 16 at 1000 UTC.cite web|author=Gary Padgett|title=CYCLONE TRACKS, FEBRUARY, 2000|accessdate=August 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2000/trak0002.htm]

Tropical Cyclone Steve

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Steve 2000 track.pngFormed=February 27
Dissipated=March 11
10-min winds=60
1-min winds=65
Pressure=975A long lived cyclone lasting 13 days, Steve actually made landfall four times on the Australian mainland. It formed on February 25, 2000 and crossed the Queensland coast north of Cairns the same day as a strong Category 2 in the Australian Scale. It weakened to a low and then redeveloped in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Steve then crossed into the Northern Territory and weakened again. The low then moved over the Indian Ocean near Broome and reformed again into a tropical cyclone. It intensified into a strong Category 2, reaching its peak intensity, and made landfall to the west of Karratha. It weakened to a Category 1 and emerged again over the Indian Ocean near Carnarvon. It finally made its fourth landfall as a weak Category 1 on March 9, 2000 near Shark Bay. It accelerated to the south-east towards Esperance and emerged over the Great Australian Bight where it became extratropical.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=Bureau - Tropical Cyclone Steve|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|accessdate=June 16|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/info/cyclone/steve/index.shtml]

There was extensive damage across a wide area of Australia, from Cairns in Queensland to Esperance in Western Australia on 11 March. Most of the damage was caused by severe flooding which resulted with costs in excess of $100 million (AUD). There were no reports of deaths from Cyclone Steve.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=BoM-Impact from Steve|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|accessdate=June 16|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/info/cyclone/steve/steve_impacts.shtml]

evere Tropical Cyclone Norman

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Track=Norman Indian 2000 track.pngFormed=February 29
Dissipated=March 9
10-min winds=100
1-min winds=120
Pressure=930Severe Tropical Cyclone Norman developed from a low that moved off the west Kimberley coast on 29 February, 2000. The cyclone tracked parallel to the Pilbara coastline for 3 days at a distance of about 250 km (155 mi), before continuing on a westward track away from the Western Australian coast. Norman quickly reached a peak intensity as a category 5 cyclone on 2 March with a central pressure estimated at 920 hPa, while about 780 km (485 mi) to the west-northwest of Exmouth. Norman soon weakened over the following 2 days. During 6 March, the cyclone changed direction to a southerly track. The system finally dissipated on 8 March. Norman had no direct impact on Western Australia.

Tropical Cyclone Olga

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Olga 2000 track.pngFormed=March 16
Dissipated=March 20
10-min winds=50
1-min winds=50
Pressure=985Olga formed from a low that developed in the Timor Sea on 15 March, 2000. The low maintained a west southwest track, paralleling the Kimberley and Pilbara coasts. The low was named Tropical Cyclone Olga on 17 March while located approximately 570 km (355 mi) to the north of Exmouth. Olga intensified to category 2 status with a central pressure of 980 hPa. By the 20th the system had weakened to a tropical low while located about 970 km (605 mi) to the west of Carnarvon. The system had no direct effect on Western Australia.

Tropical Cyclone Tessi

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Track=Tessi 2000 track.pngFormed=April 1
Dissipated=April 2
10-min winds=60
1-min winds=50
Pressure=980A tropical low in the northern Coral Sea moved toward the coast, deepened into Tropical Cyclone Tessi on 2 April and crossed the coast near Bambaroo and Crystal Creek (80 km (50 mi) north of Townsville) early on 3 April as a Category 2 system on landfall.

Tessi's winds unroofed buildings, uprooted trees, downed power lines in the area between Ingham and Ayr. The Strand suffered wave damage with several boats destroyed. Heavy rain caused landslides on Townsville's Castle Hill destroying two homes and requiring the evacuation of another fifty homes. Considerable damage to personal property and to Townsville City infrastructure was reported. Townsville Aero reported a record April wind gust of 130 km/h (81 mph), a record April daily rainfall total of 271.6 mm (10.7 in) and the cyclone was the main contribution to a record April monthly total of 546.2 mm (21.5 in). In addition, moderate damage was also reported throughout Magnetic Island and the then Thuringowa.

Minor to moderate flooding in the Haughton River increased to major in the lower reaches with the highest level since the start of records in 1978 being recorded at Giru.cite web|author=Bureau of Meteorology|title=SIGNIFICANT WEATHER - APRIL 2000|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|accessdate=July 7|accessyear=2006|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/public/sigwxsum/sigw0400.shtml]

Tropical Cyclone Vaughan

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Vaughan 2000 track.pngFormed=April 3
Dissipated=April 6
10-min winds=60
1-min winds=50
Pressure=977A tropical low was first identified near New Caledonia on the 29 March. The low tracked northwest through the Coral Sea to become Tropical Cyclone Vaughan early on 4 April. The system rapidly intensified to Category 2 during the morning of the 4th and tracked westward toward the north Queensland tropical coast. Cyclone Vaughan weakened a little during 5 April and was downgraded to a Category 1 system before re-intensifying to Category 2 early on the 6 April. However by late morning on the 6th the system again rapidly weakened and was downgraded below cyclone strength during the afternoon. The remnants of Cyclone Vaughan drifted slowly northwest and dissipated during 7 April. There was no evidence of any significant impact on the coast from Vaughan.

evere Tropical Cyclone Paul

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus


Track=Paul Indian 2000 track.pngFormed=April 11
Dissipated=April 20
10-min winds=110
1-min winds=130
Pressure=915Paul formed about 1000 km (620 mi) north of Karratha on 13 April, 2000 and moved west, away from the West Australian coastline, thus never posing any threat to coastal communities. The cyclone showed rapid intensification and Severe Tropical Cyclone Paul reached Category 5 status during 15 April, and the lowest central pressure was estimated to be have been about 920 hPa the following day. Severe Tropical Cyclone Paul passed about 200 km (125 mi) to the south of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands during the 17th and the central pressure was estimated to be about 940 hPa. Wind gusts at Cocos Islands were in the order of around 50 km/h (30 mph). TC Paul continued to weaken as the system followed a general west-south-west track across the Indian Ocean. The cyclone slowed to be almost stationary on 20 April and weakened to below cyclone strength. Perth issued the final warning for TC Paul on the 20th April when the Category 1 cyclone was in the vicinity of latitude 14.7° south and longitude 94.3° east.

evere Tropical Cyclone Rosita

Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=Aus

---

Track=Rosita 2000 track.pngFormed=April 15
Dissipated=April 20
10-min winds=100
1-min winds=125
Pressure=930Rosita was named on April 17 while located 670 km (415 mi) north of Port Hedland. It rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm on 19 April while moving to the east south-east. Rosita struck the Kimberley coast as a Category 4 at 0100 hours WST on 20 April, 2000, 40 km (25 mi) south of Broome. Its lowest central pressure was estimated to be 930 hPa a couple of hours prior to landfall. The small cyclone left severe structural damage in Eco Beach tourist resort, Yardoogarra and Thangoo Stations. Elsewhere there was considerable tree and powerline damage.

torm names

Most tropical cyclones in the region are assigned names by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical cyclones are named if they are non-frontal low pressure systems of synoptic scale developing over warm waters, or if Dvorak intensity analysis indicate the presence of gale force or stronger winds near the centre. Therefore, tropical systems with gales in one or more quadrants, but not near the centre, are not named.cite web|title=Tropical Cyclones: Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2008-08-15|publisher=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/cyclone/faq/index.shtml] All names assigned in the Australian region are selected sequentially. Only the names used during this cyclone season are listed below. The complete list of names for each basin are found in the World Meteorological Organization's official lists.cite web|year=1999|title=Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean|accessdate=2008-08-15|publisher=World Meteorological Organization|url=http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/Peng/tcp/documents/doc/Op-pln99.doc]

Each Australian Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane) maintains a list of names arranged alphabetically and alternating male and female. Tropical cyclones that develop in the South-East Indian Ocean are assigned names by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth. This region includes the areas east of 90°E, south of the Equator, and west of 125°E. Tropical cyclones that develop south of the Equator between 125°E and 141°E are assigned names by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Darwin, Northern Territory. This area includes most of the cyclones that form in the Arafura Sea and Western Gulf of Carpentaria. Tropical cyclones in the Coral Sea and Eastern Gulf of Carpentaria between 141°E and 160°E and south of 10°S are assigned names by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane, Queensland.

Perth
* Ilsa - John - Kirrily - Leon - Marcia - Norman - Olga - Paul - Rosita

Brisbane
* Steve - Tessi - Vaughan

No storms formed in Darwin region during the 1999-2000 season. However, Cyclone Steve was named by TCWC Brisbane before passing through the warning area of Darwin. Additionally, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea reserves the right to name cyclones that develop in the Solomon Sea and Gulf of Papua, north of 10°S between 141°E and 160°E. Names are selected randomly from their list and retired once they are used.cite web|year=2006|title=Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean|accessdate=2008-08-15|publisher=World Meteorological Organization|url=http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/documents/TCP-24-OP-PLN-2006-edition-english.pdf] No cyclones were named by this warning centre during the 1999-00 season.

ee also

* List of Southern Hemisphere cyclone seasons
* Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1999, 2000
* Pacific hurricane seasons: 1999, 2000
* Pacific typhoon seasons: 1999, 2000
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1999, 2000

References

External links

* [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.html Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)]
* [http://www.met.gov.fj/index.php Fiji Meteorological Service (RSMC Nadi)]
* [http://www.wmo.int/index-en.html World Meteorological Organization]
* [http://ftp.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/TCP_vO/Reports/RA%20V%20TCC-VIII%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee Final Report]
* [http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/Peng/TCP_vO/TDs/TD1082-TCseason2000.pdf WMO Annual Summary of Global Tropical Cyclone Seasons 2000]
* [http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/2000atcr/pdf.html Joint Typhoon Warning Center 2000 ATCR]
* [ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon2/home/ncc/cyclone/cyclones_newformat.zip Raw cyclone track data]
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/public/sigwxsum/sigwmenu.shtml BoM Monthly Significant Weather Summaries]
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/eiab/reports/html/appendix7.shtml BoM 1999-2000 Annual Weather Report]
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/wa/cyclone/about/seasonsummary199900.shtml 1999-00 Annual Summary (Western Australia)]
* [http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/tropical_cyclones_2000_summaries_and_track_data.htm July 1999 to June 2000 Tropical Cyclone Summaries and Operational Track Data]
* [http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2000/summ1999-2000.htm Gary Padgett's Southern Hemisphere 1999-2000 Tropical Cyclone Season Review]