The 1971–72 Australian region cyclone season was a very active

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

season.

Season summary

Systems

Tropical Cyclone Rhoda

Tropical Cyclone Rhoda existed from October 20 to October 26.

Tropical Low Kitty

Kitty existed from 2 to 5 December 1971 in the

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Sally

Sally, 3 to 13 December 1971 crossed coast near

Broome, Western Australia Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru, Yawuru people, is a coastal Pearl hunting, pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The town recorded a population of 14,6 ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Althea

Tropical Cyclone Althea was a Category 4 cyclone when it hit the coast some 50 km north of

Magnetic Island Magnetic Island ( Wulguru: ''Yunbenun'') is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville. The island is accessible from Townsvi ...

and

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its Tropical North Queensland, trop ...

on 24 December. 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 A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

associated with Tropical Cyclone 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

Bronwyn formed in the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

and made landfall in Queensland on 7 January north of

Weipa Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is one of the largest towns on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is main ...

. Half of Queensland received more than of rain, with

Paluma, Queensland Paluma is a town in the City of Townsville and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality split between the City of Townsville and the Charters Towers Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Paluma had a population of 87 p ...

receiving in 48 hours. Serious flooding occurred during the storm. The

Burdekin River The Burdekin River is a river in North and Far North Queensland, Australia. The river rises on the northern slopes of Boulder Mountain at Valley of Lagoons, part of the western slope of the Seaview Range, and flows into the Coral Sea at Upsta ...

flooded

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

and

Home Hill Home Hill is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Home Hill had a population of 2,876 people. At the delta of the Burdekin River, it is a sugarc ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Carlotta

Carlotta, 5 to 11 January 1972 well off

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Wendy

Wendy, 6 February to 9 February 1972.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Daisy

Daisy, 6 to 14 February 1972 off Queensland, caused some flooding near

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Tessie-Gigi

Tessie, 20 to 27 February 1972 in central Indian Ocean

Severe Tropical Cyclone Vicky

Vicky, 24 February to 4 March 1972 crossed

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

n coast at

Cockatoo Island Cockatoo Island Wareamah is a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the confluence of the Parramatta River and Lane Cove River in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. Cockatoo Island is the largest of several harbour islands that were once ...

Tropical Cyclone Angela

Angela, 29 February to 3 March 1972 near

Cocos Island Cocos Island () is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 15 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Puntarenas Province, Province of ...

and

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

Tropical Cyclone Belinda

Belinda, 20 to 29 March 1972 near Christmas Island

Severe Tropical Cyclone Emily

Emily, 27 March to 2 April 1972 off Queensland, eight lives lost at sea

Severe Tropical Cyclone Carol

Carol, 6 to 14 April 1972 in the central Indian Ocean.

Tropical Cyclone Faith

Faith, 11 to 23 April 1972 in

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, �zen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...

and

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

off Queensland

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gail

Gail, 11 to 14 April 1972 well off Queensland

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hannah

Hannah, 8 to 11 May near

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ida

Ida, 30 May to 1 June 1972 near Solomon Islands causing $70 million damage.

References

External links

Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Jakarta

Papua New Guinea National Weather Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:1971-72 Australian region cyclone season Australian region cyclone seasons

Aust Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, about north of Bristol and about south west of Gloucester. It is located on the eastern side of the Severn estuary, close to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which carries the M48 ...

1971 disasters in Australia 1972 disasters in Australia 1971 disasters in Oceania 1972 disasters in Oceania