1978–79 Australian region cyclone season
 | |
| Season summary map | |
| First system formed | 19 November 1978 |
|---|---|
| Last system dissipated | 12 May 1979 |
| Strongest storm | Hazel – 935 hPa (mbar), |
| Tropical lows | 13 |
| Tropical cyclones | 3 |
| Severe tropical cyclones | 1 |
| Total fatalities | Unknown |
| Total damage | Unknown |
| Australian region tropical cyclone seasons 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978-79, 1979–80, 1980–81 | |
| Related articles | |
The 1978-79 Australian region season saw above normal activity.
Storms
Cyclone 01S
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | November 19 – November 23 | ||
| Peak intensity | 75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min) | ||
Cyclone 03S
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | December 20 – December 26 | ||
| Peak intensity | 100 km/h (65 mph) (1-min) | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Peter
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |||
| |||
| Duration | December 29 – January 4 | ||
| Peak intensity | 120 km/h (75 mph) (10-min) 980 mbar (hPa) | ||
Peter caused extensive damage in the Gulf of Carpentaria between January 1 and January 2, 1979.[1] Peter hovered offshore, causing a 24 hour rainfall of 1140mm/44.88" at Mount Bellenden Ker on January 5.[2]
| Wettest tropical cyclones and their remnants in Australia Highest known totals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref | ||
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 1947 | 76.65 | Peter 1979 | Mt. Bellenden Ker | [3] |
| 2 | 1870 | 73.62 | Rona-Frank 1999 | Mt. Bellenden Ker | [3] |
| 3 | 1411 | 55.55 | Mackay Cyclone 1918 | Mackay | |
| 4 | 1318 | 51.89 | Wanda 1974 | Mt. Glorious | [4] |
| 5 | 1256.8 | 49.48 | Fletcher 2014 | Kowanyama | [5][6] |
| 6 | 1082 | 42.60 | Aivu 1989 | Dalrymple Heights | [7] |
| 7 | 1065 | 41.93 | May 1998 | Burketown | [8] |
| 8 | ≥1000 | ≥39.00 | Justin 1997 | Willis Island | [9] |
| Ellie 2009 | [10] | ||||
| Oswald 2013 | Tully | [11] | |||
Tropical Cyclone Greta
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |||
| |||
| Duration | January 8 – January 13 | ||
| Peak intensity | 95 km/h (60 mph) (10-min) 986 mbar (hPa) | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gordon
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |||
| |||
| Duration | January 2 – January 12 | ||
| Peak intensity | 130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min) 965 mbar (hPa) | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Rosa
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |||
| |||
| Duration | February 12 – March 4 | ||
| Peak intensity | 150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min) 955 mbar (hPa) | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Kerry
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |||
| |||
| Duration | February 12 – March 5 | ||
| Peak intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-min) 945 mbar (hPa) | ||
Cyclone Hazel
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | March 6 – March 14 | ||
| Peak intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (1-min) 935 mbar (hPa) | ||
Hazel grazed the Western Australia coast on March 13, 1979. Fifteen crewmen drowned when their fishing boat sank during the storm.[12]
Cyclone Ivan
| |||
| Duration | March 16 – March 21 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Winds unknown 988 mbar (hPa) | ||
Cyclone Stan
| |||
| Duration | April 6 – April 15 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Winds unknown 995 mbar (hPa) | ||
Cyclone Idylle
| |||
| Duration | April 6 – April 20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Winds unknown 945 mbar (hPa) | ||
Cyclone Jane
| |||
| Duration | April 8 – April 14 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Winds unknown 988 mbar (hPa) | ||
Cyclone Kevin
| |||
| Duration | May 2 – May 12 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak intensity | Winds unknown 986 mbar (hPa) | ||
See also
- Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1978, 1979
- Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons: 1978, 1979
- Western Pacific typhoon seasons: 1978, 1979
- North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1978, 1979
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20071028085031/http://www.ema.gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf/54273a46a9c753b3ca256d0900180220/dc55889c6a538e4dca256d3300057c69?OpenDocument
- ↑ Weather Rainfall Cyclones
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Climate Education: Flood". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ↑ Bureau of Meteorology. Tropical Cyclones in Queensland. Retrieved on 2 January 2008.
- ↑ "Tropical Cyclone Fletcher Impacts". Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ↑ "Kowanyama, Queensland February 2014 Daily Weather Observations". Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ↑ "Report on Severe Tropical Cyclone Aivu: Rainfall" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. 6 June 1990. p. 17–18. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ↑ "Tropical Cyclone May". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ↑ Queensland Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (2014). "Tropical Cyclone Justin" (PDF). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Government of Australia. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ↑ "Tropical Cyclone Ellie". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ Brian Williams and Peter Michael (24 January 2013). "Ex-cyclone Oswald heads south with heavy rain tipped for long weekend". Australian Associated Press. The Courier Mail. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20071021112331/http://www.ema.gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf/54273a46a9c753b3ca256d0900180220/c96854d69c2d0932ca256d3300057bc8?OpenDocument