List of Category 4 Australian region severe tropical cyclones explained

Category 4 is the second-highest classification on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale which is used to classify tropical cyclones, that have 10-minute sustained winds of at least wind speeds of NaNkn. 47 tropical cyclones have peaked Category 4 severe tropical cyclones in the Australian tropical cyclone basin, which is denoted as a part of the Indian and Pacific Oceans to the south of the equator and between 90°E–160°E. The earliest tropical cyclone to be classified as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone was Gyan which was classified as a Category 4 during 22 December 1981, as it impacted New Caledonia. The latest was Pola as it passed between Fiji and Tonga. This list does include any tropical cyclones that peaked as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, while in the Australian region.

Background

The Australian region tropical cyclone basin is located to the south of the Equator between 90°E and 160°E. The basin is officially monitored by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), and the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service. The United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and other national meteorological services such as New Zealand's MetService, Météo-France and the Fiji Meteorological Service, also monitor parts of the basin in an unofficial capacity. Within the basin a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone is defined as a tropical cyclone that has 10-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of NaNkn on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.[1] A named storm can also be classified as a Category 4 tropical cyclone if it is estimated to have 1-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of between NaNkn on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.[2] This scale is not officially used by any of the warning centres for the region, but tropical cyclones are compared to it by various agencies, including NASA. On both scales a Category 5 tropical cyclone is expected to cause widespread devastation if it significantly impacts land at or near its peak intensity.[1] [2]

Systems

1970s

|-| Kerry || || 90kn || 960hPa || Western Australia || || ||[3] |-| Madge || || 90kn || 952hPa || Northern Territory, Queensland || || ||[4] |-| Pam || || 105kn || 925hPa || Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu
New Caledonia, Queensland || Significant || Unknown ||[5] [6] |-| Tracy || || 95kn || 950hPa || Northern Territory || || ||[7] [8] |-| Vanessa (1976) || January 1976 || 95kn || 950hPa || Western Australia || || ||[9] |-| Watorea || || 90kn || 970hPa || || || ||[10] |-| Ted || || 100kn || 945hPa || Queensland || || ||[11] |-| Leo (1977) || || || || || || |||-| Trudy (1978) || || || || || || |||-| Winnie (1978) || || || || || || |||-| Kerry (1979) || || || || || || |||-| Hazel (1979) || || || || || || |||-| Idylle (1979) || || || || || || |||}

1980s

|-| Brian (1980) || || || || || || |||-| Fred (1980) || || || || || || |||-| Simon || || 90kn || 950hPa || Queensland, New Zealand || || ||[12] |-| Doris–Gloria (1980) || || || || || || |||-| Alice–Adelaide (1980) || || || || || || |||-| Felix (1980) || || || || || || |||-| Neil (1981) || || || || || || |||-| Olga (1981) || || || || || || |||-| Chris-Damia (1982) || || || || || || |||-| Bernie (1982) || || || || || || |||-| Jane || || 90kn || 947hPa || Western Australia || || |||-| Elinor || || 90kn || 935hPa || Queensland || || ||[13] |-| Quenton (1983) || || || || || || |||-| Bobby (1984) || || || || || || |||-| Chloe (1984) || || || || || || |||-| Daryl (1984) || || || || || || |||-| Odette || || 100kn || 930hPa || Cape York Peninsula, Vanuatu || || |||-| Sandy || || 105kn || 953hPa || Northern Territory, Western Australia || N/A || ||[14] |-| Victor (1986) || || || || || || |||-| Billy–Lila || || || 950hPa || Western Australia || None || None ||[15] [16] |-| Elsie || || 100kn || 940hPa || Western Australia || N/A || |||-| Gwenda-Ezenina (1988) || || || || || || |||-| Ned || || 100kn || 941hPa || Western Australia || || ||[17] |}

1990s

|-| Ivor || || 90kn || 965hPa || Cape York Peninsula || || ||[18] [19] [20] |-| Joy || || 90kn || 940hPa || Solomon Islands, Queensland || || ||[21] [22] |-| Errol (1991) || || || || || || |||-| Marian (1991) || || || || || || |||-| Betsy || || 90kn || 950hPa || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand || || ||[23] |-| Harriet-Heather (1992) || || || || || || |||-| Ian || || 105kn || 930hPa || Western Australia || || ||[24] |-| Esau || || 105kn || 925hPa || Vanuatu || Minimal || ||[25] [26] |-| Jane-Irna (1992) || || || || || || |||-| Nina || || 80kn || 970hPa || Queensland, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Wallis and Futuna || || ||[27] [28] |-| Oliver || || 100kn || 950hPa || Queensland || || ||[29] |-| Sharon || || 105kn || 930hPa || Indonesia, Western Australia || || ||[30] |-| Annette || || 105kn || 925hPa || Western Australia, South Australia || || ||[31] |-| Bobby || || 105kn || 925hPa || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || ||[32] |-| Agnes || || 100kn || 945hPa || || || ||[33] |-| Frank || || 95kn || 950hPa || Western Australia || || |||-| Barry || || 100kn || 950hPa || Queensland || || ||[34] |-| Kirsty || || 100kn || 935hPa || Western Australia || || ||[35] |-| Olivia || || 105kn || 925hPa || Western Australia, South Australia || || ||[36] |-| Drena (1997) || || || || || || |||-| Rhonda || || 95kn || 935hPa || Cocos Islands, Western Australia || || ||[37] [38] |-| Katrina || || 90kn || 940hPa || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Queensland || || ||[39] |-| Tiffany (1998) || || || || || || |||-| Elaine || || 90kn || 945hPa || Western Australia || || |||-| Frederic–Evrina (1999) || || || || || || |||}

2000s

|-| Norman || || 100kn || 930sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Western Australia || || |||-| Fiona || || 95kn || 935sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || |||-| Monty || || 100kn || 935hPa || Western Australia || Minimal || None |||-| Oscar || || 90kn || 940sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || |||-| Bertie || || 100kn || 928sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || |||-| Larry || || 100kn || 935hPa || Queensland || || |||-|-| Floyd || || 105kn || 916sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Pilbara Coast || || ||[40] |-| Pancho || || 90kn || 938hPa || Christmas Island, Western Australia || || |||-| Billy || || 95kn || 950hPa || Western Australia || || |||-| Ilsa || || 90kn || 958hPa || None || || || |}

2010s

|-| Ului || || 105kn || 939hPa || Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Queensland || || ||[41] |-| Zelia || || 100kn || 943hPa || None || || ||[42] |-| Bianca || || 95kn || 949hPa || Western Australia || || ||[43] |-| Narelle || || 105kn || 930hPa || Western Australia || || ||[44] |-| Rusty || || 90kn || 944hPa || Western Australia || || ||[45] |-| Christine || || 90kn || 948hPa || Western Australia || || ||[46] |-| Lam || || 100kn || 943hPa || Northern Australia || || ||[47] |-| Nathan || || 90kn || 963sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Northern Australia || || ||[48] |-| Ikola || || 95kn || 953sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || ||[49] |-| Quang || || 100kn || 950sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Western Australia || || ||[50] |-| Debbie || || 95kn || 949hPa || Queensland, New South Wales || || ||[51] |-| Savannah || || 95kn || 953sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Cocos Islands || || ||[52] |-| Trevor || || 95kn || 950sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Papua New Guinea, Queensland, Northern Territory || || ||[53] |}

2020s

|-| Ferdinand || || 95kn || 951sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || ||[54] |-| Vernon || || 100kn || 948sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || ||[55] |-| Charlotte || || 90kn || 956sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Timor-Leste, Western Australia || || ||[56] |-| Freddy || || 95kn || 951sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || None || || ||[57] |-| Neville || || 100kn || 948sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Cocos Islands, Christmas Island || || |||-| Megan || || 90kn || 955sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4 || Queensland, Northern Territory || || |||}

Other systems

Over the years, the intensity estimates of tropical cyclones have been reanalysed for various reasons and were found to have been underestimated by the various warning centres.[61] [62] In particular, during a database repair project that took place between 2005 and 2007, the BoM discovered that Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam of 1974, had been reanalysed at some point after 1979.[63] This reanalysis showed that Pam had moved out of the South Pacific region and into the Australian region, as a category 5 severe tropical cyclone.[63] However, a later reanalysis by the BoM during 2021 downgraded it to a category 4 severe tropical cyclone, as it was thought that the width of the southern eyewall was too narrow for a category 5 severe tropical cyclone.[63]

See also

Notes and References

  1. 2017/2018 Tropical Cyclone Season Summary of Alerts and Warnings Procedures for Fiji. Fiji Meteorological Service . October 23, 2017 . 3 & 11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180413033258/http://www.met.gov.fj/TC_Procedures.pdf. live . April 13, 2018.
  2. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. United States National Hurricane Center. Schott, Timothy. Landsea, Christopher. Hafele, Gene. Lorens, Jeffrey. Taylor, Arthur. Thrum, Harvey. Ward, Bill. Willis, Mark. Zaleski, Walt. January 2, 2019. June 4, 2019.
  3. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1973019S15120}} 1973 Tropical Cyclone Kerry (1973019S15120)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 15, 2020.
  4. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2010. 27 November 2010. Tropical Cyclone Madge.
  5. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1974030S15182}} 1974 Tropical Cyclone PAM (1974030S15182)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  6. 1973-1974 dans le pacifique sud-ouest. 1976. 90. March 28, 2020. 51. MetMar.
  7. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1974354S08135}} 1974 Tropical Cyclone Tracy (1974354S08135)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  8. Courtney, Joe. Shepherd, Ian J. 26 October 2010. The benefit of hindsight: re-examining the maximum winds during Tropical Cyclone Tracy. Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal. 159–168. 60. 3. 10.22499/2.6003.004. 25 February 2011. free.
  9. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1976015S18122}} 1974 Tropical Cyclone Tracy (1974354S08135)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  10. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1976113S04156}} 1976 Tropical Cyclone Watorea (1976113S04156)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  11. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1976351S13141}} 1976 Tropical Cyclone Ted (1976351S13141)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  12. Web site: Bureau of Meteorology. 2010. 11 December 2011. Severe Tropical Cyclone Simon.
  13. Web site: Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 22 March 2012. Severe Tropical Cyclone Elinor.
  14. Web site: Bureau of Meteorology. 2010. 17 September 2012. Severe Tropical Cyclone Sandy.
  15. Web site: Severe Tropical Cyclone Billy-Lila. Courtney, Joe. 16 June 2009. 6 June 2011. Bureau of Meteorology.
  16. Kingston, G. 1986. The Australian Tropical Cyclone Season 1985–86. Australian Meteorological Magazine. 29 November 2011. Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
  17. Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2014. 11 March 2014. Tropical Cyclone Ned.
  18. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1990073S13170}} 1990 Severe Tropical Cyclone Ivor (1990073S13170)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 2, 2019.
  19. Web site: Bureau of Meteorology. 2012. 18 September 2012. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ivor.
  20. News: C. Thurlow. QNP. Courier-Mail. 30 March 1990. Cyclone Ivor Damage Likely to Reach $15M. Queensland, Australia. (Accessed through LexisNexis)
  21. News: Associated Press. 12 January 1991. Death Toll Rises to Six, Losses In Hundreds of Millions. Rockhampton, Australia. (Accessed through LexisNexis)
  22. News: Greg Roberts. Sydney Morning Herald. Brisbane, Australia. 15 January 1991. Town Prepares for Evacuation. 3.
  23. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1992005S07172}} 1992 Severe Tropical Cyclone Betsy (1992005S07172)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. June 2, 2022.
  24. Web site: Bureau of Meteorology. 2012. 19 September 2012. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian.
  25. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1992055S13169}} 1992 Severe Tropical Cyclone Esau (1992055S13169)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. May 25, 2019.
  26. Tropical Cyclone Esau, February 24 – March 7 . Fiji Meteorological Service . Tropical Cyclone Report . April 22, 2013 . June 26, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130626182255/http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/virtcdlib/index.cgi/4274123/FID1/DATA/TROPIC/SWP_NAR/1992_6.NAR;1 . live.
  27. Tropical Cyclone Nina, December 21, 1992 – January 4, 1993 . live . 20 May 1996 . 8 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151208150752/http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/4274123/FID218/DATA/TROPIC/SWP_NAR/1993_6.NAR . Fiji Meteorological Service . 13 December 2015.
  28. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1992357S13143}} 1992 Tropical Cyclone Nina (1992357S13143)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. October 28, 2019.
  29. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Oliver.
  30. Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Sharon.
  31. Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Annette.
  32. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Bobby.
  33. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Tropical Cyclone Agnes.
  34. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Tropical Cyclone Barry.
  35. Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirsty.
  36. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 12 March 2014. Severe Tropical Cyclone Olivia.
  37. Knapp, Kenneth R. Kruk, Michael C. Levinson, David H. Diamond, Howard J. Neumann, Charles J. [{{IBTRACS url|id=1997125S08079}} 1997 Rhonda (1997125S08079)]. The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS): Unifying tropical cyclone best track data. 15 May 2017. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
  38. Severe Tropical Cyclone Rhonda. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 20 May 2017.
  39. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. 11 March 2014. Tropical Cyclone Katrina.
  40. Web site: Severe Tropical Cyclone Floyd . 2023-06-04 . Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
  41. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=2010070S15168}} 2010 Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului (2010070S15168)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. 2 June 2022.
  42. Web site: International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. [{{IBTRACS url|id=2011013S15151}} 2007 Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia (2011013S15151)]. 2 June 2022.
  43. Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022. 13 April 2011. Paterson, Linda A.
  44. Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022. January 2016.
  45. Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022. 30 January 2019.
  46. Severe Tropical Cyclone Christine. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022. August 2014.
  47. Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam post-event report. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022 . October 2015.
  48. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Nathan. 2 June 2022.
  49. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ikola. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2 June 2022 . October 2015.
  50. Paterson, Linda A. Australian Bureau of Meteorology . Severe Tropical Cyclone Quang . 2 June 2022 . October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190107213529/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/quang.pdf . 7 January 2019. live.
  51. 27 March 2018. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical Cyclone Debbie Technical Report. 2 June 2022.
  52. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Savannah. Earl-Spurr, Craig. 12 November 2023.
  53. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor. 2 June 2022.
  54. August 2022. Clegg, Peter. Paterson, Linda A. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ferdinand. 7 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221207005041/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/Ferdinand2020_report.pdf. 7 December 2022. live.
  55. April 2022. Courtney, Joseph B. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Vernon. 7 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220604113913/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/Vernon2022_Report.pdf. 4 June 2022. live.
  56. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Charlotte. 5 July 2022. 25 June 2022. Prasad, Vikash. June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220705114241/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/Charlotte2022.pdf. Boterhoven de Haan, Matthew. live.
  57. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Severe Tropical Cyclone Freddy. 26 July 2023. 31 August 2023. Clegg, Pete. Earl-Spurr, Craig. Paterson, Linda A. 19 July 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230726131652/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/freddy23.pdf. live.
  58. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1982005S10105}} 1982 Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Chris:Damia (1982005S10105)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. April 28, 2020.
  59. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1990062S13091}} 1990 Gregoara:Walter (1990062S13091)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. May 7, 2020.
  60. Web site: [{{IBTRACS url|id=1992056S11102}} 1992 Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Harriet:Heather (1992056S11102)]. International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. May 7, 2020.
  61. Book: Laurent, Victoire. Varney, Patrick. Meteo France. Historique des Cyclones de Polynesie Francaise. 2014. French. 978-2-9522946-1-4. History of Cyclones in French Polynesia.
  62. Hoarau, Karl. Chalonge, Ludovic. Pirard, Florence . Peyrusaubes, Daniel . Extreme tropical cyclone activities in the southern Pacific Ocean . International Journal of Climatology . March 2018 . 38 . 3 . 1409–1420 . 10.1002/joc.5254. 2018IJCli..38.1409H . 133864648.
  63. Courtney, Joseph B. Foley, Gary R. van Burgel, Johannes L. Trewin, Blair. Burton, Andrew D. Callaghan, Jeffrey. Davidson, Noel E. Revisions to the Australian tropical cyclone best track database . Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science . 2021 . 71 . 2 . 219. 10.1071/ES21011. 244220599. free.

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