1970-75 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons
Encyclopedia
The 1970-1975 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons ran year-round from July 1 to June 30 during each year between 1970 and 1975. Tropical cyclone
activity in the Southern Hemisphere
reaches its peak from mid-February to early March.
Pre-1970
1970-75 1975-80 1980-85
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
activity in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
reaches its peak from mid-February to early March.
Pre-1970
Pre-1970 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons
The Pre-1970 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons ran year-round from July 1 to June 30, reaching their peaks mid-February to early March.Pre-1970 1970–75 1975–80 1980–1985-Unnnamed tropical cyclone :The Banda Islands were hit in March...
1970-75 1975-80 1980-85
1970–71 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season
The following storms occurred in the Australian Region during the 1970/71 tropical cyclone season:- Beverley, 26 November to 1 December 1970 in Arafura SeaArafura SeaThe Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
. The decayed storm developed into Eva (below) - Rosie, weak cyclone late December 1970 near New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
- Sophie, weak cyclone late December 1970 near New Caledonia
- Aggie, 1 to 4 February 1971 in Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
and Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National... - Dora, 10 to 18 February 1971 off QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- Gertie, 11 to 16 February 1971 crossed near Townsville, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and developed into Fiona (below) - Ida, 15 to 22 February 1971 in Coral SeaCoral SeaThe Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
- Fiona, 17 to 28 February developed from remains of Gertie in Gulf of Carpentaria
- Lena, 13 to 20 March 1971 near New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
- Andrea, 31 October to 11 November 1970 in central Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
- Carmen, 20 to 26 November 1970 in central Indian Ocean
- Eva, 1 to 12 December 1970 caused flooding over the Kimberley region of Western AustraliaKimberley region of Western AustraliaThe Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
- Hilary, 11 to 18 December 1970 in central Indian Ocean
- Janet, 19 to 25 December 1970 in central Indian Ocean
- Loris, 26 to 31 December 1970 crossed the Pilbara coast near Mandora with no serious damage.
- Myrtle/Ginette, 15 to 19 January 1971 near Cocos IslandCocos IslandCocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
and moved west - Polly, 20 to 29 January 1971 in central Indian Ocean
- Rita, 23 to 30 January 1971 passed over Exmouth, Western AustraliaExmouth, Western Australia-Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission...
with flood damage only. - Sheila-Sophie, 29 January to 6 February 1971 crossed coast near Roebourne, Western AustraliaRoebourne, Western AustraliaRoebourne is an old gold rush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is 202 km from Port Hedland and 1,563 km from Perth, the state's capital. It prospered during its gold boom of the late 19th century and was once the biggest settlement between Darwin and Perth...
with some damage - Tilly, 10 to 14 February 1971 in central Indian Ocean
- Yvonne, 9 to 24 February 1971 near Cocos Island and moved west
- Kalinka, February 1971 in central Indian Ocean near MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
- Maggie/Muriel, 7 to 20 March 1971 in central Indian Ocean
- Mavis, 23 to 29 March 1971 crossed coast near Denham, Western AustraliaDenham, Western AustraliaDenham is the administrative town for the Shire of Shark Bay, Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Denham had a population of 607.Located on the western coast of the Peron Peninsula north of Perth, Denham is the westernmost town in Australia, and is named in honour of Captain Henry Mangles...
causing flooding
Cyclone Althea (1971)
Tropical Cyclone Althea was a Category 4 cyclone when it hit the coast some 50 km north of Magnetic IslandMagnetic Island
Magnetic Island is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry...
and Townsville in North Queensland
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
on December 24, 1971. 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 AU$115 million loss (1990 value). On Magnetic Island 90% of the houses were damaged or destroyed. 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.
Other cyclones
As well as Althea, the following storms occurred in the Australian Region during the 1971/72 tropical cyclone season:- Ursula, 2 to 16 December 1971 in Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
area - Kitty, 2 to 5 December 1971 in the Arafura SeaArafura SeaThe Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
- Bronwyn, 3 to 12 January 1972 in Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
- Carlotta, 5 to 21 January 1972 well off QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- Wendy, 30 January to 9 February 1972 very intense off Queensland, possible pressure as low as 890hPa
- Daisy, 7 to 14 February 1972 off Queensland, caused some flooding near BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
- Emily, 27 March to 4 April 1972 off Queensland, eight lives lost at sea
- Faith, 11 to 23 April 1972 in Torres StraitTorres StraitThe Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
and Coral SeaCoral SeaThe Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
off Queensland - Gail, 11 to 18 April 1972 well off Queensland
- Hannah, 8 to 11 May near Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
- Ida, 30 May to 3 June 1972 near Solomon Islands causing $70 million damage.
- Rhoda, 20 to 26 October 1971 in central Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
- Sally, 3 to 13 December 1971 crossed coast near Broome, Western AustraliaBroome, Western AustraliaBroome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
. - Tessie, 20 to 27 February 1972 in central Indian Ocean
- Vicky, 24 February to 4 March 1972 crossed Western Australian coast at Cockatoo Island.
- Angela, 29 February to 3 March 1972 near Cocos IslandCocos IslandCocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
and Christmas IslandChristmas IslandThe Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands.... - Belinda, 20 to 30 March 1972 near Christmas Island
- Carol, 6 to 14 April 1972 in central Indian Ocean
Cyclone Bebe
Tropical cyclone Bebe was a very early-season storm that occurred from 19 to 25 October 1972 near FijiFiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Cyclone Kerry
At Wickham on 21 January 1973 more than 30 houses were partly unroofed and some houses received major damage. There was no damage to buildings in DampierDampier, Western Australia
Dampier is a major industrial port in the north-west of Western Australia. The Dampier Port is part of the Dampier Archipelago. The port services petrochemical, salt, iron ore and natural gas export industries. Rio Tinto exports large volumes of iron ore through the port, and in September 2010...
, Roebourne or Karratha as the cyclone crossed the coast well to the east. Kerry passed close to a number of oil-drilling rigs causing damage and lost productivity time that cost over one million dollars. Maximum recorded gust was 140 km/h at Cape Lambert.
Unnamed Tropical Cyclone
On 27 April, a tropical cyclone formed near FloresFlores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, an island arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km² extending east from the Java island of Indonesia. The population was 1.831.000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. Flores is Portuguese for "flowers".Flores is located east of Sumbawa...
. It moved near the island and dissipated two days later.
The cyclone was a major disaster. It sank a ship, with all 21 hands lost, as well as killing around 1500 fishers at sea. On the island of Flores, 53 were killed.
Cyclone Lottie
Cyclone Lottie struck Fiji's Southern Lau Group on December 10. High seas caused the ship Uluilakeba to capsize killing more than 85 people.http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=59508
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=be0b7fae6f3eb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
Cyclone Wanda (1974)
This cyclone existed from 24 January to 27 January 1974 and led to extensive flooding over southeast QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Although this tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
was relatively weak, it dropped enormous quantities of rain on south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
over the Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
(26–27 January) weekend, resulting in some of the worst flooding seen in a century. The Queensland state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, fared particularly badly, with fourteen lives lost and parts of the city submerged under 2 metres of the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
. (See 1974 Brisbane flood
1974 Brisbane flood
The 1974 Brisbane flood occurred in January 1974 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, when waterways in the city experienced significant flooding...
.) In northern New South Wales, a further two fatalities were reported. The cyclone's final toll: 16 dead, over 300 injured; 56 homes destroyed, a further 1,600 submerged; 8000 people left homeless.
Cyclone Zoe (1974)
Cyclone Zoe was named and detected on 9 March 1974 when it was northeast of BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. In the following days it moved steadily southward and interacted with an already-exiting trough in the easterlies to produce sustained and very heavy rainfall all along the coast from Brisbane south almost to Sydney. In the four days between 10–13 March, Brisbane received 419.4 millimetres (16.5 in) and some places in the Northern Rivers region of New South Walkes received as much as 700 millimetres (27.6 in). With catchments already saturated by heavy January rains, record flooding occurred on the Richmond River
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
, which reached a height of 12.17 metres.
Cyclone Selma
Cyclone Selma was predicted to impact DarwinDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, but it dissipated before it impacted land.
Cyclone Tracy (1974)
135 mph Cyclone Tracy hit the city of Darwin, Australia on the night of December 24, 1974, causing 71 deaths and extreme damage.Cyclone Trixie (1975)
Wind gusts of 259 km/h at Mardie and 246 km/h at Onslow, Western AustraliaOnslow, Western Australia
Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north of Perth. It currently has a population of around 573 people and is in the Shire of Ashburton Local Government Area....
were measured during cyclone Trixie in 19 February 1975. The Onslow anemometer was destroyed after measuring the gust of 246 km/h during this storm. The gust at Mardie is the second highest recorded on the Australian mainland.
Cyclone Beverley
Tropical cyclone Beverley affected Exmouth, Western AustraliaExmouth, Western Australia
-Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission...
and the west coast in March 1975.
Cyclone Vida
On 20 March 1975 winds were recorded to 128 km/h at Fremantle and 109 km/h in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. There was some damage including St George's Cathedral and Perry Lakes Stadium. At Rockingham a 7 m yacht sank, a 6m cabin cruiser was destroyed and many other craft were damaged.