Northern Territory, January 2020

Severe Tropical Cyclone Claudia

While Tropical cyclone Blake was forming off the Kimberly coast on 5 January, another tropical low formed in the Arafura sea, about 480 km north-east of Darwin. The low slowly tracked towards the south-east, then turned west-southwest, crossing the Northern Territory coast about 40 km east of Maningrida early on 8 January. The low tracked westwards over the Top End, slowing briefly on the coast south of Darwin on 10 January before moving further west into the Timor Sea.

Intense rainfall was recorded at automatic weather stations on the coast south of Darwin, with a new Northern Territory record daily rainfall total of 562 mm on the island of Dum-In-Mirrie in the 24 hours to 9.00am on 11 January. The island experienced rainfall rates at times that had an annual exceedance probability (AEP) of 2%, roughly equivalent to a one-in−50-year event. Other 24-hour rainfall totals in the area include 515 mm at Wagait Beach, 194 mm at Geriatric Park and 185mm at Charles Point.

The low continued to move westwards north of the Kimberley region of Western Australia into the Indian Ocean where it intensified into category 1 Tropical Cyclone Claudia at 11:00pm local time on 11 January.

Claudia continued to intensify, reaching category 2 intensity as it moved through the western Timor Sea. Browse Island, 370 km north of Derby, recorded a wind gust of 126 km/h just after 7.00am the following day as Claudia passed only 12 kilometres to the north of the island.

Just after midnight on 13 January, Rowley Shoals recorded a wind gust of 102 km/h and very soon after, Claudia reached severe category 3 intensity. Claudia’s estimated maximum wind gust was 195 km/h and sustained wind speeds were estimated at 140 km/h.

During 14 January, Claudia reached cooler waters northwest of Exmouth and began to weaken, and by 11:00pm on 15 January, Claudia was downgraded to a tropical low.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Claudia remained more than 400 kilometres off the Pilbara coast, never crossing the West Australian coast and not impacting on the West Australian mainland.

Claudia was the second tropical cyclone and the first severe tropical cyclone in the Australian region for the 2019-20 season.

Source

This incident was included in the Major Incidents Report 2019-20 (AIDR 2020). See the report for further information on the incident. The report acknowledges the following sources: Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services; Bureau of Meteorology.