| 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 | |
| Australian region tropical cyclone seasons 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 | |
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
Main article: 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. 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. 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
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center
- Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Jakarta (in Indonesian)
- Papua New Guinea National Weather Service
| 1970–1979 Australian region cyclone seasons | |
|---|---|
| Tropical cyclones in 1971 and 1972 | |
|---|---|
| Cyclones |
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| Hurricanes | |
| Typhoons | |
| Non-seasonal lists | |