1971–72 Australian region cyclone season
| 1971–72 Australian region cyclone season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | 20 October 1971 |
| Last system dissipated | 1 June 1972 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Emily |
| • Maximum winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 942 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Tropical lows | 18 |
| Tropical cyclones | 17 |
| Severe tropical cyclones | 12 |
| Total fatalities | Unknown |
| Total damage | Unknown |
| Related articles | |
The 1971–72 Australian region cyclone season was a very active tropical cyclone season.
Season summary
Systems
Tropical Cyclone Rhoda
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | October 20 – October 26 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min); 980 hPa (mbar) |
Tropical Cyclone Rhoda existed from October 20 to October 26.
Tropical Low Kitty
| Tropical low (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical depression (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | December 2 – December 5 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 55 km/h (35 mph) (10-min); 1000 hPa (mbar) |
Kitty existed from 2 to 5 December 1971 in the Arafura Sea
Severe Tropical Cyclone Sally
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | December 3 – December 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 165 km/h (105 mph) (10-min); 950 hPa (mbar) |
Sally, 3 to 13 December 1971 crossed coast near Broome, Western Australia.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Althea
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | December 19 – December 29 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 165 km/h (105 mph) (10-min); 952 hPa (mbar) |
Tropical Cyclone Althea was a Category 4 cyclone when it hit the coast some 50 km north of Magnetic Island and Townsville in North Queensland on December 24, 1971.[1] Althea produced peak gust wind speeds between 123 and 145 miles per hour (197 and 233 km/h). Three people died and property damage was estimated at A$115 million loss (1990 value). On Magnetic Island 90% of the houses were damaged or destroyed.[2] In Townsville houses were lifted from their foundations and most trees stripped of foliage. Althea was also notable at the time, as it had struck a major city.
Although there was a dangerous storm surge associated with TC Althea (between 2.8 and 3.6 metres) little flooding occurred because the cyclone made landfall on a low tide. However, the combination of storm surge and wave action demolished The Strand sea wall and houses in low-lying areas were inundated with up to 0.6 metres of water.
Tropical Cyclone Bronwyn
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | January 2 – January 12 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min); 993 hPa (mbar) |
Bronwyn, 3 to 12 January 1972 in Gulf of Carpentaria
Severe Tropical Cyclone Carlotta
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | January 5 – January 11 (Crossed 160°E) |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 120 km/h (75 mph) (10-min); 976 hPa (mbar) |
Carlotta, 5 to 21 January 1972 well off Queensland
Severe Tropical Cyclone Wendy
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | February 6 (Crossed 160°E) – February 9 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min); 976 hPa (mbar) |
Wendy, 30 January to 9 February 1972.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Daisy
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | February 6 – February 14 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min); 959 hPa (mbar) |
Daisy, 7 to 14 February 1972 off Queensland, caused some flooding near Brisbane
Severe Tropical Cyclone Tessie-Gigi
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | February 20 – February 27 (Crossed 80°E) |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 175 km/h (110 mph) (10-min); 950 hPa (mbar) |
Tessie, 20 to 27 February 1972 in central Indian Ocean
Severe Tropical Cyclone Vicky
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | February 24 – March 4 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 140 km/h (85 mph) (10-min); 961 hPa (mbar) |
Vicky, 24 February to 4 March 1972 crossed Western Australian coast at Cockatoo Island.
Tropical Cyclone Angela
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | February 29 – March 3 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min); 994 hPa (mbar) |
Angela, 29 February to 3 March 1972 near Cocos Island and Christmas Island
Tropical Cyclone Belinda
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | March 20 – March 29 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min); 980 hPa (mbar) |
Belinda, 20 to 30 March 1972 near Christmas Island
Severe Tropical Cyclone Emily
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | March 27 – April 2 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-min); 942 hPa (mbar) |
Emily, 27 March to 4 April 1972 off Queensland, eight lives lost at sea
Severe Tropical Cyclone Carol
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | April 6 – April 14 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min); 965 hPa (mbar) |
Carol, 6 to 14 April 1972 in the central Indian Ocean.
Tropical Cyclone Faith
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | April 10 – April 24 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 85 km/h (50 mph) (10-min); 990 hPa (mbar) |
Faith, 11 to 23 April 1972 in Torres Strait and Coral Sea off Queensland
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gail
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | April 11 – April 14 (Crossed 160°E) |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-min); 945 hPa (mbar) |
Gail, 11 to 18 April 1972 well off Queensland
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hannah
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | May 8 – May 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 970 hPa (mbar) |
Hannah, 8 to 11 May near Papua New Guinea
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ida
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | May 30 – June 1 (Crossed 160°E) |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 970 hPa (mbar) |
Ida, 30 May to 3 June 1972 near Solomon Islands causing $70 million damage.
See also
- Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1971, 1972
- Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons: 1971, 1972
- Western Pacific typhoon seasons: 1971, 1972
- North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1971, 1972
References
- ^ "Severe Tropical Cyclone Althea. Summary". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Severe Tropical Cyclone Althea. Summary". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
External links
