Cyclone Katrina–Victor–Cindy

Cyclone Katrina–Victor–Cindy

Category 4 cyclone (Australian scale) Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
Satellite image of Katrina on January 13, 1998
Formed	1 January 1998
Dissipated	19 February 1998 (Below tropical cyclone intensity between January 25 and February 8.)
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph)
Lowest pressure	940 mbar (hPa); 27.76 inHg
Fatalities	1 total
Damage	$8.66 million (1998 USD)
Areas affected	Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Northern Australia
Part of the 1997–98 Australian region, South Pacific and South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons

Severe Tropical Cyclone Katrina–Victor–Cindy was a long lived and erratic tropical cyclone, which moved around Australia during parts of January and February 1998.^[1] The initial system developed on 2 January and meandered within the Coral Sea between the Queensland coast and Vanuatu for the next three weeks. After its decay the remnants of Katrina moved westward over Cape York Peninsula, past the Northern Territory and into the Indian Ocean where it developed into tropical cyclone Victor during February. Victor was then renamed Cindy by the Mauritius Meteorological Service as it moved into the South-West Indian Ocean.

Meteorological history

On January 1, the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane, Australia (TCWC Brisbane) started to monitor a tropical low that had developed within an active monsoon trough about 600 kilometres (375 mi) to the northeast of Mackay in Queensland, Australia.^[2][3] Over the next couple of days the low gradually developed further as an upper level ridge of high pressure, improved the systems outflow before early on January 3, TCWC Brisbane reported that the low had intensified into a category one tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, and named it Katrina.^[2] The JTWC then designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 12P and initiated advisories, as it started to move towards the north-northeast because of the monsoon westerlies located to the north of the system.^[2][4] During that day the cyclone intensified slightly further, before all intensification, because the low level inflow was being dominated by Severe Tropical Cyclone Susan as it rapidly intensified.^[5][6]

On January 7, Susan moved further south allowing Katrina to intensify as it neared the Solomon Islands, this proved to be the northernmost point of Katrina's track as the storm turned east-southeast and then southeast, fluctuating in hurricane strength. On January 9, Cyclone Katrina threatened Vanuatu when it stalled about 200 nautical miles (370 km) west-northwest of Port Vila and reversed direction and moved west due a high pressure system. On January 11, Katrina moved south of Rennell Island and then crossed back into the Brisbane area six hours later where it crossed the 160E on its eastward journey, then the storm turned west where it maintained that course until January 15. On the 15th, the storm moved south-southwest where it reached Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale Category 2 strength with a barometric pressure of 940 mbar. Katrina weakened rapidly and slowed before making a tight loop on January 17 and January 18.^[7] After completing the loop, Cyclone Katrina moved east for 12 hours before moving east-southeast for three days. During that time, Katrina briefly reached Category 1 strength once more before slowing down and being affected by wind shear. By January 24, Katrina had weakened to a tropical depression and on January 25, Katrina dissipated 250 nautical miles (463 km) east of Townsville.^[7]

Cyclone Victor formed from a tropical low (remnants of Katrina) that passed across northern Cape York Peninsula. The low was weak and poorly structured as it moved to the north of Kimberley during February 8, however its organization improved significantly on February 9 as it moved west-southwest away from the north Kimberley coast. An LNG tanker reported 40 knot winds near the center during the late afternoon of February 10 and was named Victor that night. It continued to move westward and remained weak during February 11 but intensified during February 12. An eye became visible during the morning of February 13 as Victor reached peak intensity. Victor continued west-southwest but then progressively weakened. By the morning of February 15 it was sheared with a fully exposed low-level center apparent on satellite imagery.^[8] Victor was a small cyclone for its whole lifetime and was surrounded by very high environmental pressures.

As Victor accelerated towards a west-southwestly direction on the edge of a subtropical high, it crossed the 90th meridian east in early February 16, being briefly renamed by Mauritius as tropical cyclone Cindy.^[8] Later that day, the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Réunion (RSMC La Reunion) downgraded Cindy to a tropical disturbance category.^[8] Cindy continued to lose its clouds and vorticity until February 19, when RSMC La Reunion reported that the cyclone dissipated, after having recurved to the south towards a polar through.^[8]

The time period from the initial formation of the low in the Coral Sea, until it could no longer be identified as a low in the central Indian Ocean was 51 days.^[9]

==Impact==

Already suffering from the effects of Cyclones Ron and Susan, the South Pacific nations of Vanuatu and Fiji feared additional damage from Katrina as it tracked toward the region.^[10] After battering some of these islands, the erratically tracking storm reversed direction and threatened another disaster-struck region, Queensland, Australia. By 16 January, officials warned that further rains from the storm could renew floods to regions still recovering from destructive ones earlier in the month. Residents were advised to trim branches off trees, secure outdoor objects, clean their gutters and stock up on emergency supplies. According to press reports, the threat of a landfalling cyclone was, "the worst news for Townsville."^[11] Cyclone watches were declared for parts of the Queensland coastline between Cape Melville and Bowen.^[12] Cleanup efforts were rushed as debris had to be cleared from flood-stricken areas before the storm struck.^[13] On 18 January, the 1,000 relief workers brought into the region after the floods were placed on standby to protect their well-being as the storm moved through.^[14] After Katrina stalled and turned away from Queensland on 19 January,^[15] the cyclone watch area was revised to encompass areas between Cardwell and Mackay. A strong wind warning was also put in effect from Cairns to Bowen.^[16] The following day, these advisories were discontinued as the storm no longer posed a threat to land.^[17]

Though the storm remained away from any major landmasses during its existence, smaller islands in the Solomon Islands sustained significant damage. Rennell and Bellona Province experienced the most severe damage with 450 homes destroyed. In Guadalcanal, nearly 200 more homes were destroyed by rough seas. In Vanuatu, a man drowned after being swept away by large swells.^[15] The severity of damage in the Solomon Islands prompted the issuance of disaster declarations for the two provinces. Aid was quickly sent in by the Red Cross but the local government requested further assistance.^[18]

Off the coast of Queensland, Willis Island was impacted by Katrina twice: once on 3 January and again between 16 and 18 January.^[15] Both instances brought heavy rains, amounting to storm total of 443.2 mm (17.45 in), more than twice the monthly average.^[19] While crossing the Cape York Peninsula, the remnants of Katrina brought moderate rains to the region, exceeding 60 mm (2.4 in) in some areas.^[20]

See also

• Cyclone Rewa
• Hurricane John (1994)

References

External links

• Australian Bureau of Meteorology
• Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika
• Fiji Meteorological Service
• Meteorological Service of New Zealand
• Reunion Meteorological Service
• Joint Typhoon Warning Center
• Mauritius Meteorological Service

v t e Tropical cyclones of the 1997–98 South Pacific cyclone season 2 Lusi TD 03P 3 Martin 2 Nute 3 Osea 2 Pam 5 Susan 5 Ron 3 Katrina–Victor–Cindy 1 Tui 2 Ursula 2 Veli 2 Wes TD Unnamed TD Unnamed TD Unnamed 3 Yali 3 Zuman 1 Alan 1 Bart Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject · Commons