On Monday 18 March 2019, a tropical low in the Coral Sea tracked towards Queensland’s eastern Cape York Peninsula and quickly intensified into tropical cyclone Trevor.

Trevor made landfall just south of Lockhart River 19 March as a severe tropical cyclone (category 3). With winds exceeding 200 km/h, Trevor tracked across the far north of Cape York Peninsula and generated heavy rainfall in the region and along Queensland’s north tropical coast. Crossing the Cape, Trevor left behind a trail of damage, uprooting trees, causing flooding and roof damage, closing schools and roads and knocking out power supplies.

Queensland’s State Disaster Coordination Centre disseminated seven Emergency Alert campaigns between 19 and 23 March, delivering warning messages across far northern Queensland, including to Aurukun, Lockhart River, Weipa, Karumba and Pormpuraaw, warning of the potential for waterspouts and destructive winds. Queensland’s State Emergency Service received more than 30 requests for assistance from the public during Trevor’s passage.

Trevor then weakened to a category 1 cyclone and tracked south-west across the Gulf of Carpentaria but re-intensified to a category 4 system on 22 March and made landfall about 100 kilometres south of the Northern Territory’s Port McArthur on 23 March. By then, the weather system was almost the size of New South Wales, generating sustained winds of 175 km/h, gusts up to km/h and heavy rainfall. Because the system was so large, gale force winds were experienced up to 250 kilometres from its centre. Mornington Island, 200 km from cyclone’s centre, recorded gusts of 105 km/h.

Around 2,100 people from communities in Trevor’s path, including Borroloola, Numbulwar and Groote Eylandt, were moved to evacuation centres in Katherine, Tennant Creek, Darwin and Nhulunbuy. It was the largest evacuation effort in the Northern Territory since cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974.

Three Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Hercules transport aircraft evacuated more than 950 residents from Borroloola and Groote Eylandt over 22–24 March, while other Australian Defence Force personnel helped with the establishment of the evacuation centres in Katherine and Darwin. In the three days following the cyclone, RAAF aircraft transported 451 residents back to their local communities.