1997–98 Australian region cyclone season

none March 2021 Aus 1998 1997-98 Australian region cyclone season summary.png 19 November 1997 19 April 1998 Tiffany 940 92.5 10 11 9 official, 1 unofficial 4 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00 1997–98 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 1997–98 South Pacific cyclone season The 1997–98 Australian region cyclone season was a slightly below average tropical cyclone season. It ran from 1 November 1997 to 30 April 1998. The regional tropical cyclone operational plan also defines a tropical cyclone year separately from a tropical cyclone season, and the "tropical cyclone year" ran from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. Tropical cyclones in this area were monitored by four Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs): the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane; and TCWC Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. __TOC__ Systems Tropical Cyclone Nute Aus Nute 1997-11-19 2031Z.png Nute 1997 path.png 19 November (Entered basin) 21 November 60 70 975 On 19 November, Tropical Cyclone Nute moved into the basin on 19 November, at its peak intensity as a category 2 tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained winds of 60 kn km/h mph 5 on out, while located around 300 nmi km mi 5 on out to the south of Honiara in the Solomon Islands.Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary November 1997 http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1998/summ9711.htm 11 November 2012 Padgett, Gary https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013712/http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/cyclones/1998/summ9711.htm 3 December 2013 live1997319S09180 International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1997 Tropical Cyclone Nute (1997319S09180) 9 October 2019 As it moved into the region, the JTWC estimated that Nate had peaked with 1-minute sustained winds of 70 kn km/h mph on 5 out, which made it equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.19 November 1997 15 October 2023 http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center Tropical Cyclone 05P Warning No 4 November 19, 1997 21z https://web.archive.org/web/20150608082955/http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm 8 June 2015 live Over the next couple of days, Nute weakened significantly as it encountered dry air and an increasing amount of vertical wind shear, which caused its low-level circulation to become fully exposed.20 November 1997 15 October 2023 http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center Tropical Cyclone 05P Warning No 5 November 20, 1997 09z https://web.archive.org/web/20150608082955/http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm 8 June 2015 live As a result, the JTWC issued its final advisory on the system during 20 November, before the BoM reported that Nute had dissipated during the following day.20 November 1997 15 October 2023 http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center Tropical Cyclone 05P Warning No 6 November 20, 1997 21z https://web.archive.org/web/20150608082955/http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/tropical_cyclones/1997_1998/warnings/tropical_cyclone_nute_jtwc_advisories.htm 8 June 2015 live Final Report of the Seventh Session: Appendix VI-1: Australia: Tropical Cyclones in the Eastern Region during the 1997/1998 Tropical Cyclone Season RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and the South-East Indian Ocean Seventh Session September 1998 World Meteorological Organization Tropical Cyclone Sid Aus Sid dec 28 1997 0526Z.jpg Sid 1997 path.png 24 December 29 December 45 40 985 A low-pressure system formed over the Northern Territory in late December and moved into the Timor Sea as the monsoon trough developed near Australia. A tropical depression had formed on 26 December near Darwin, Australia. The storm reached gale force six hours after developing and was named Sid by the BoM. Sid moved to the east, affecting the Northern Territory. Sid turned southeastward, crossing the Northern Territory. Sid moved fully southward, in which it weakened due to wind shear. By 28 December, Sid had weakened to below gale-status and residual low meandered around for a few days.Sid Report By 3 January, the low re-entered the Western Gulf and the BoM began to re-issue advisories on the low, which was forecast to re-intensify. The low became a depression and drifted around for another day. On 4 January, scatterometer data at 1330 UTC indicated the presence of 30-35 mph winds over the water. The depression weakened back into a low on 5 January and advisories were stopped again. However, on 7 January, the TCWC in Darwin re-issued advisories for a third time and the cyclone was forecast to re-intensify, but this did not occur. The last warning was issued on the depression at 1800 UTC. The remnant low moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria and across Queensland. The TCWC in Brisbane, Australia issued bulletins on 10 January for the low which was once Sid. The low remained quasi-stationary to a couple of days near Townsville, causing major flooding in the area. The bulletins were discontinued the next day. Heavy rains fell and several rivers flooded due to the remnant low on 11 January.Tropical Depression (formerly TC Sid - 08S) 3-11 January Severe Tropical Cyclone Selwyn Aus Selwyn tir.gif Selwyn 1997 path.png 26 December 2 January 76 65 960 Tropical Cyclone Selwyn formed 650 kilometers east-southeast of Christmas Island within the monsoon trough.http://www.australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1998/summ9712.txt Tropical Cyclone Selwyn (TC-09S)26 December-2 January 16 April 2007 9 February 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070209012506/http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1998/summ9712.txt dead Selwyn rapidly strengthened into a tropical cyclone on 27 December and reached its maximum intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h) on 28 December. Selwyn went at a west-southwesterly motion, bringing it to a position almost 1000 nmi km -3 west of Broome by mid-day 29 December. After this point, Selwyn began to weaken rapidly as it moved west-northwesterly slowly. Warnings were discontinued by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Perth, Australia on 31 December because winds were forecast to fall below gale-force. The remnant low drifted westward and then to the southwest with convection flaring up once in a while. Warnings were re-issued in early January due to forecasts that Selwyn would re-intensify, but this did not occur. The remnant low (formerly known as Selwyn) was tracked until 3 January. Severe Tropical Cyclone Katrina Aus Katrina 1998-01-15 0631Z.png Katrina 1998 path.png 1 January 24 January(Out of basin from 7–11 January) 90 90 940 Cyclone Katrina During 1 January, TCWC Brisbane started to monitor a tropical low, that had developed within the monsoon trough about 630 km mi 5 on to the east-northeast of Cairns in Queensland, Australia.Australian Bureau of Meteorology The South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Season 1997–98 http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/2000/chappel.pdf 21 January 2015 Bate P W Chappel L C 49 121–138 Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal https://web.archive.org/web/20110605113928/http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/docs/2000/chappel.pdf 5 June 2011 live Padgett, Gary http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1998/summ9801.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary January 1998 21 January 2015 Katrina became a tropical storm on 3 January and was moving slowly to the east-northeast. The cyclone was affected by Cyclone Susan which was 1000 nmi km -2 east of Katrina. On 7 January, Susan moved further south allowing Katrina to intensify as it neared the Solomon Islands, this proved to be the northernmost point of Katrina's track as the storm turned east-southeast and then southeast, fluctuating in hurricane strength. On 9 January, Cyclone Katrina threatened Vanuatu when it stalled about 200 nmi km -1 west-northwest of Port Vila and reversed direction and moved west due a high pressure system. On 11 January, Katrina moved south of Rennell Island and then crossed back into the Brisbane area six hours later where it crossed the 160E on its eastward journey, then the storm turned west where it maintained that course until 15 January.Katrina report On the 15th, the storm moved south-southwest where it reached Category 2 strength with a barometric pressure of 940 mbar. Katrina weakened rapidly and slowed before making a tight loop on 17 and 18 January. After completing the loop, Cyclone Katrina moved east for 12 hours before moving east-southeast for three days. During that time, Katrina briefly reached Category 1 strength once more before slowing down and being affected by wind shear. By 24 January, Katrina had weakened to a tropical depression.March 2026 Severe Tropical Cyclone Tiffany Aus Tiffany Jan 27 1998 0638Z.png Tiffany 1998 path.png 22 January 31 January 100 120 940 Tropical Cyclone Tiffany began as a tropical low about 1000 nmi km -3 northeast of Broome.Tropical Cyclone Tiffany (TC-15S) 24-31 January TCWC in Perth, Australia started issuing advisories on the low 24 January. The system was of land origin and had entered the ocean. A brief surge of southeasterly flow helped the system strengthen and was given the name Tiffany the next day. Tiffany was a small system and strengthened rapidly with an estimated 40 mi/h km/h -1 on gain in a 12-hour period on 26 January. Hurricane-status was reached at 1200 UTC about 125 nmi km 0 north of Port Hedland. The peak intensity of 930 millibars was recorded on 27 January with the maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (130 by the JTWC). Tiffany remained at 105 mi/h km/h 0 on for 18–24 hours before beginning to weaken. The cyclone went to the west-southwest, farther and farther away from the Australian coastline. By 29 January, the system fell below hurricane-status and Perth issued its last warning the next day. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center followed the next day. No damage was reported with the system. Australian Report for Tiffany Tropical Cyclone Les Aus Les Jan 24 1998 0531Z.png Les 1998 path.png 22 January 1 February 60 50 976 Cyclone Les (1998) Les formed on 23 January 1998 near Darwin, Australia. The storm moved westward reaching Category 1 status before making landfall on the eastern gulf coast of the Northern Territory. Moving back out over the Timor Sea, Les hugged the coast and regained strength before making a second landfall and dissipating. Les caused extensive flooding and damage in the town of Katherine and there was one death.Les Report Severe Tropical Cyclone Victor–Cindy Aus Cyclone_Victor-Cindy_1998.png Victor-Cindy 1998 path.png 8 February 17 February (Exited basin) 85 90 975 The tropical low that was to become Severe Tropical Cyclone Victor-Cindy was first noted over Australia's Top End by the BoM on 5 February 1998 and was presumed to have formed out of the remnants of Severe Tropical Cyclone Katrina.International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1998002S14151 1998 Tropical Cyclone Victor-Cindy (1998002S14151) 20 April 2023http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/victor.pdf Tropical Cyclone Victor Australian Bureau of Meteorology 20 April 2023 Over the next couple of days, the system moved westwards over the Top End under the influence of a subtropical ridge of high pressure and emerged into the Indian Ocean to the north of Western Australia's Kimberley region. However, its organization improved significantly on 9 February, as it moved west-southwest away from the north Kimberley coast. An LNG tanker reported 40-knot winds near the center during the late afternoon of 10 February, and the storm was named Victor that night. It continued to move westward and remained weak during 11 February, but intensified during 12 February. An eye became visible during the morning of 13 February, as Victor reached peak intensity. Victor continued west-southwestward but then progressively weakened. By the morning of 15 February, the cyclone was sheared, with a fully exposed low-level center apparent on satellite imagery.RSMC La Reunion Tropical Cyclone Center Tropical Depression D1 Saison Cyclonique 1997-1998 http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/La_Reunion/webcmrs9.0/anglais/archives/publications/data/cSaisoncyclonique19971998.pdf 17 August 2012 Meteo France Victor was a small cyclone for its whole lifetime and was surrounded by very high environmental pressures. As Victor accelerated towards a west-southwest direction on the edge of a subtropical high, it crossed the 90th meridian east early on 16 February, subsequently being briefly renamed by Mauritius as Tropical Cyclone Cindy. Later that day, the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Réunion (RSMC La Reunion) downgraded Cindy to a tropical disturbance. Cindy continued to lose its convection and vorticity until 19 February, when RSMC La Reunion reported that the cyclone dissipated, after having recurved to the south towards a polar trough. The time period from the initial formation of the low in the Coral Sea, until it could no longer be identified as a low in the south-central Indian Ocean was 51 days.Western Australia Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 1997-98 Bureau of Meteorology 23 February 2014 http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/1998.shtml Tropical Cyclone May Aus May Feb 26 1998 0300Z.png May 1998 path.png 25 February 26 February 40 35 990 May formed from an area of low pressure on 25 February 1998 near the Australian coast. May moved southward before making landfall near Mornington Island on 26 February. After that the storm dissipated while moving inland.May report There were no reports of deaths or damage from Tropical Cyclone May. Tropical Low Elsie Aus Elsie tir.gif Elsie 1998 path.png 7 March 9 March (Exited basin) 20 A low pressure area was spotted west of the Cocos Islands on 7 March. The system tracked westward and then southwestward over the next few days, remaining poorly organized. It crossed 90°E in the night of 8–9 March and left the Australian basin.Philippe Caroff 1997 Météo-France 1997-1998 Cyclone Season in the South-West Indian Ocean 2014-05-03 http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/La_Reunion/webcmrs9.0/francais/archives/publications/data/cSaisoncyclonique19971998.pdf Tropical Cyclone Nathan Aus Nathan vis.gif Nathan 1998 path.png 20 March 26 March 50 65 990 Tropical Cyclone Nathan formed from a tropical low embedded weak monsoon trough that had formed when Tropical Cyclone Yali had reached cyclone intensity. Upper-level outflow was favorable, but wind shear made it restricted for rapid development. Nathan started off developing rapidly, the first warning, issued on 21 March, classified the system as a 45 mi/h km/h 0 on tropical cyclone. Nathan was a small system in an environment of weak steering flow, causing the storm to move erratically but slowly to the east. Nathan turned southward, coming to within 100 nmi km -1 of Cooktown, Australia on 23 March. The TCWC in Brisbane kept Nathan's wind speed at 50-60 mph, whereas the Joint Typhoon Warning Center boosted it up to hurricane-strength on 23 March. After approaching the coast of Queensland, Nathan came under the influence of the monsoon flow from Tropical Cyclone Yali. The storm moved east-northeasterly very rapidly and became more easterly on 25 March. By the morning of 26 March, the circulation was becoming sheared. The shear was possibly coming from an extratropical system (formerly known as Yali). Nathan turned to the south and the Brisbane TCWC downgraded the system into a tropical low, ceasing advisories. By 1200 UTC on 27 March, Nathan showed signs of redevelopment near the Chesterfield Islands. The JTWC reissued advisories and upped the winds to 50 mi/h km/h -1 on. Nathan moved westward and approached Australia again, weakening slowly. A scatterometer pass on 29 March indicated a small circulation with winds of about 40 mi/h km/h -1 on and a Willis Island report the next day indicated that Nathan only had 35 mi/h km/h 0 on easterly winds. The JTWC kept Nathan as a minimal tropical cyclone until 31 March when it was downgraded into a weakening low. Tropical Low 35S Aus 35S Apr 19 1998 0640Z.png 35S 1998 path.png low 16 April 19 April 35 40 1002 A low formed off the coast of Australia on 16 April 1998. The depression moved southwestward before making landfall in Western Australia on the 19th.Australian Bureau of Meteorology 3 June 2022 http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/1998.shtml 18 March 2012 Western Australia Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 1997-98 https://web.archive.org/web/20120318214745/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/1998.shtml deadMonthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary March 1998 11 August 2018 http://www.australiasevereweather.com.au/cyclones/1998/summ9803.htm Padgett, Gary There were reports of heavy rain but no report of damage or deaths from the unnamed storm. Other systems During 25 March the JTWC, RSMC Nadi and TCWC Brisbane reported that Cyclone Yali had moved into the Australian region from the South Pacific basin.http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1998/yali.htm Tropical Cyclone Yali Warnings Joint Typhoon Warning Center Australian Severe Weather 10 November 2012 However, RSMC Nadi and TCWC Brisbane both treated the system as a post tropical cyclone, after an upper cut-off low had captured the cyclone had caused Yali to lose its tropical characteristics. Storm names Tropical cyclones are assigned names by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology or Papua New Guinea. 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.Tropical Cyclones: Frequently Asked Questions 15 August 2008 Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology 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.1999 Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean 15 August 2008 World Meteorological Organization http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/Peng/tcp/documents/doc/Op-pln99.docNovember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes 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 Selwyn – Tiffany – Victor Darwin Sid Brisbane Katrina – Les – May – Nathan The Bureau of Meteorology retired the names Katrina and Sid, replacing them with Kitty and Samuel respectively.Bureau of Meteorology 2005 TROPICAL CYCLONE NAMES Bureau of Meteorology 16 June 2006 http://www.bom.gov.au/catalogue/warnings/cyclone_names.shtml dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060615131914/http://www.bom.gov.au/catalogue/warnings/cyclone_names.shtml 15 June 2006 However, neither name was retained when the naming lists were combined in 2008. Season effects |- | Nute || 19971119 19 – 21 November || bgcolor=#A2|2 Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#A2|60 kn km/h mph 5 out on on || bgcolor=#A2|975 hPa inHg 5 on 4 on || None || 0 None || 0 None ||1997319S09180 International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1997 Tropical Cyclone Nute (1997319S09180) 27 May 2022 |- | Sid || 19981224 24 – 29 December || bgcolor=#A1|1 Category 1 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#A1|45 kn km/h mph 5 out on on || bgcolor=#A1|985 hPa inHg on 4 on || Northern Territory || 100000000 $ || 1 ||International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1997319S09180 1997 Tropical Cyclone Sid (1997359S12129) 27 May 2022Tropical Cyclone Sid http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/sid.shtml Australian Bureau of Meteorology 27 May 2022 |- | Les || 19980121 21 January – 2 February || bgcolor=#A2|2 Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#A2|60 kn km/h mph 5 out on on || bgcolor=#A2|976 hPa inHg 4 on on || Northern Australia || 1 Unknown || 1 Unknown ||International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1998022S15143 25 May 2022 1998 Tropical Cyclone Les (1998022S15143)Impacts May 2022 |- | May || 19981007 7 – 10 February || bgcolor=#A1|1 Category 1 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#A1|40 kn km/h mph 5 out on on || bgcolor=#A1|990 hPa inHg 4 on on || Northern Territory || 1 Unknown || 1 Unknown ||International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1998056S14139 1998 Tropical Cyclone May (1998056S14139) 27 May 2022 |- | Nathan || 19980319 19 – 30 March || bgcolor=#A2|2 Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#A2|50 kn km/h mph 5 out on on || bgcolor=#A2|990 hPa inHg 4 on on || Queensland || 0 None || 0 None ||Australian Bureau of Meteorology Tropical Cyclone Nathan http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/nathan.shtml 27 May 2022International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 1998079S10145 25 May 2022 1998 Severe Tropical Cyclone Nathan (1998079S10145) |- | 35S || 19980416 16 – 19 April 1998 || bgcolor=#TL|0 Tropical low || bgcolor=#TL|20 Not Specified || bgcolor=#TL|1020 Not Specified || Western Australia || 1 Unknown || 1 Unknown || |} </div> See also Tropical cyclones List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1997, 1998 Pacific hurricane seasons: 1997, 1998 Pacific typhoon seasons: 1997, 1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1997, 1998 References External links Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) https://web.archive.org/web/20100301105349/http://www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC 1 March 2010 . Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. World Meteorological Organization RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee Final Report Joint Typhoon Warning Center 1998 ATCR Raw cyclone track dataMay 2025 medicmedic BoM Monthly Significant Weather Summaries 1997-98 Annual Summary (Western Australia) September 1997 to June 1998 Tropical Cyclone Summaries and Operational Track Data 1997 y 1990 Australian region cyclone yes Category:Australian region cyclone seasons