Cyclone Ingrid

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Cyclone Ingrid

Category 5 cyclone (Australian scale)

Category 4 cyclone (SSHS)

Tropical Cyclone Ingrid on March 8, 2005

Formed

March 3, 2005

Dissipated

March 17, 2005

Highest
winds

250 km/h (155 mph) (1-minute sustained)

325 km/h (200 mph) (gusts)

Lowest pressure

924 hPa (mbar)

Fatalities

5+ direct

Damage

Unknown

Areas
affected

Northern Queensland, Northern Territory, Northern Western Australia

Part of the
2004-05 Australian region cyclone season

Cyclone Ingrid was a tropical cyclone which struck northern Australia during the 2004-05 Australian region cyclone season. Its minimum pressure was 924 mbar (hPa). [1]

1 Storm history
2 Impact
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Storm history

Storm path

Ingrid developed in the Coral Sea on March 3, 2005. Although its sustained winds were high enough to be classified as a Category 4 storm, it diminished to Category 3 strength on March 9 as it moved west towards the Australian coast. The eye, with very destructive wind gusts up to 220 km/h within a 20 km radius, reached the far northern coast of the Australian state of Queensland between 6 am and 9 am on 10 March 2005 AEST, and hit the Cape York Peninsula as a Category 2 storm. However, it was downgraded to a Category 1 storm as it crossed the peninsula north of the towns of Coen and Lockhart River.

After passing the town of Weipa, Ingrid gained strength once again as it moved out across the Gulf of Carpentaria towards the Northern Territory. It struck the town of Nhulunbuy as a Category 4 storm. It crossed the Cobourg Peninsula in the early hours of 13 March, heading west. Ingrid crossed the Tiwi Islands as a category 3 storm, and moved west into the Timor Sea. Winds were in excess of 200 km/h.

On March 15 Ingrid approached the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia as a category 4 storm, and made landfall near Kalumburu shortly afterwards. It quickly weakened as it moved inland, and soon completely dissipated.

(Note: The storm categories above are as defined by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology [2], and differ from those used in the United States.)

[edit] Impact

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007)

Only minor wind damage and flooding occurred, but five people lost their lives off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea when their boat overturned in the wild seas generated by the cyclonic winds.

The isolated communities along the coast of Northern Territory suffered considerable damage, and there was localised flooding in the coastal areas due to high tides.

Overtopping of Dunham River bridge on Great Northern Highway caused by Cyclone Ingrid

Much of the infrastructure of the Tiwi Islands was affected, some suffering consequential damage due to trees falling on buildings and vehicles. Darwin experienced high winds and heavy rain, but was only affected by the southern edge of the cyclone.

A remote settlement known as The Bush Camp at Faraway Bay near Kalumburu was obliterated by the cyclone. Great Northern Highway was closed between Kununurra and Halls Creek for a period of 36 hours due to flooding.