2010–11 Australian Region Cyclone Season
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The 2010–11 Australian region cyclone season was a near average
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, with eleven tropical cyclones forming compared to an average of 12. The season was also the costliest recorded in the Australian region basin, with a total of $3.62 billion (2011 USD) in damages, mostly from the destructive
Cyclone Yasi Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi () was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that made landfall in northern Queensland, Australia in early 2011, causing major damage to the affected areas. Originating as a tropical low near Fiji on 26 Janu ...
. The season began on 1 November 2010 and ended on 30 April 2011, although the first tropical cyclone formed on 28 October. The Australian region is defined as being to the south of the equator, between the
90th meridian east The meridian 90° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. It is the border between two tropical cyclone ba ...
and
160th meridian east The meridian 160° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 160th meridian east forms a great circle wit ...
. Tropical cyclones in this area are monitored by five Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWC's): Jakarta, Port Moresby, Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane, each of which have the power to name a tropical cyclone. The TCWC's in Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane are run by the
Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...
, who designate significant tropical lows with a number and the U suffix. The
Joint Typhoon Warning Center The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
also issues unofficial warnings for the region, designating significant tropical cyclones with the "S" suffix when they form west of 135°E, and the "P" suffix when they form east of 135°E. __TOC__


Seasonal forecasts

Ahead of the cyclone season, the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government that is responsible for providing weather forecasts and meteorological services to Australia and neighbouring countries. It was established in 1906 unde ...
(BoM), the New Zealand
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintai ...
(NIWA) and various other Pacific Meteorological services, all contributed towards the Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook that was released during October 2010. The outlook took into account the moderate-strong La Niña conditions that had been observed across the Pacific and analogue seasons that had La Niña conditions occurring during the season. The outlook called for a normal or above average number of tropical cyclone occurring during the season, with nine to twelve named tropical cyclones, to occur between 135°E and 120°W compared to an average of nine. At least three of the tropical cyclones were expected to become category 3 severe tropical cyclones, while one was expected to become a category 4 severe tropical cyclone. In addition to contributing towards the Island Climate Update outlook, the BoM issued seven seasonal forecasts during October 2010, for the Australian region and the Southern Pacific with each forecast covering the whole tropical cyclone year. Each forecast issued took into account the La Niña conditions that had developed over the region and were forecasted to persist during the season. For the Australian region as a whole it was predicted that the season could be the most active season since 1983–84 and that between 20 – 22 tropical cyclones would either develop within or move into the basin compared to an average of 12 cyclones. For the Western region between 90°E and 125°E, the BoM forecast that the area would see between 11 and 12 tropical cyclones compared to the average of 7, it was also noted that the region had a 93% chance of an above average cyclone season. For the North-Western subregion between 105°E and 130°E, it was predicted that activity would be above average, with 5 tropical cyclones and a 67% chance of above average tropical cyclone activity. TCWC Perth also noted that there was a likelihood of two tropical cyclones and a significant likelihood of at least one severe tropical cyclone impacting Western Australia. It was also noted that there was an increased chance of an early season cyclone and a system impacting Western Australia before Christmas 2010. It was predicted that the Northern Territory between 125°E and 142.5°E had a 75% chance of an above average season, and that the first cyclone of the season over the Territory and the monsoon onset would be expected to be earlier than normal. The Eastern region between 142.5°E and 160°E had an 87% chance of an above average season, with 7–8 tropical cyclones predicted for the region compared to an average of 6. The BoM also issued forecasts for the Western Southern Pacific region, between 142.5°E and 165°E and the Eastern Southern Pacific region between 165°E and 120°W. It was predicted that the Western Southern Pacific would have a 79% chance of having an above average season with 7–8 tropical cyclones occurring within the region, compared to an average of 5 tropical cyclones. The Eastern Southern Pacific region was predicted to have a 33% chance of having an above average season and 5–6 tropical cyclones compared to an average of 7 tropical cyclones. The Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre (GCACIC) at the
City University of Hong Kong The City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is a public research university in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and formally established as the City University of Hong Kong in 1994 ...
and the Tropical Storm Risk Consortium (TSR) at the University College London also issued seasonal forecasts for the region.


Seasonal summary

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scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...
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During the middle of October, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) moved through the eastern Indian Ocean and left an area of enhanced atmospheric convection in its wake. This subsequently combined with an equatorial Rossby wave, which contributed to the formation of Tropical Low 01U to the southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia on 28 October 2010. Over the next couple of days, the system moved westwards before it recurved south-eastwards during 30 October.


Systems


Tropical Low Anggrek

Tropical Low 01U was first noted by the BoM and BMKG during 28 October, while it was located to the southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. Over the next day, the system moved slowly westwards, as atmospheric convection started to wrap into its consolidating low-level circulation centre, in an area of light to moderate vertical wind shear. The JTWC subsequently issued a
tropical cyclone formation alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formi ...
on the system during the following day, as the system turned southwards and interacted with a mid-level trough of low pressure. On 30 October, the JTWC began issuing advisories on the system, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 02S. The next day, TCWC Jakarta reported that the low had intensified into a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, naming it "Anggrek". Later that day, as the system moved towards the southeast, it entered the BoM's area of responsibility as it further intensified into a category 2 tropical cyclone. Anggrek passed to the east of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands early on 2 November, with the system beginning a weakening trend soon afterwards. On 4 November, TCWC Perth issued the final advisory on the system as Anggrek weakened into a tropical low. The next day, the remnants of Anggrek entered the south-west Indian Ocean as a convective-less circulation center. Throughout the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, heavy rain and gusty winds were experienced as Cyclone Anggrek passed. Only minor damage was reported, with several trees and power lines brought down. No deaths were reported across the islands. Operationally, Anggrek peaked as a minimal tropical cyclone, however, in TCWC Perth's post-season analysis, Anggrek was downgraded to a tropical low as gale-force winds never extended more than halfway around the system center.


Tropical Cyclone Abele

During 3 December, the BoM reported that Tropical Cyclone Abele had moved into the Australian Region from the South-West Indian Ocean, as a category 2 tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained winds of . As it entered the region the system was located well to the southwest of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, with the JTWC reporting that the system was equivalent to a category 1 hurricane with 1-minute sustained windspeeds of . Over the next day Abele weakened further because of cooler
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s and increasing vertical wind shear, before it was last noted by both the BoM and JTWC during 5 December.


Tropical Low 03U

On 15 December a monsoonal low developed about 500 km north-west of Exmouth, Western Australia. The system drifted slowly to the south-east. Gales and heavy rain reached areas far from the centre of the system which crossed the coast near Coral Bay on 18 December. However, shortly after landfall the system turned sharply to the south-west and reached the Indian Ocean west of Carnarvon on 19 December. It moved away from the coast and dissipated late on 20 December some 500 km west of Geraldton. In the catchment basin of the Gascoyne River heavy precipitation fell from 16 to 19 December and triggered one of the worst floods along the
Gascoyne River The Gascoyne River is a river in the Gascoyne (Western Australia), Gascoyne region of Western Australia. At , it is the longest river in Western Australia. Description The Gascoyne River comprises three branches in its upper reaches. Draini ...
in history. The rain also affected other river basins in the area, such as Wooramel, Murchison, Lyndon-Minilya, and Ashburton rivers. For the period from 16 to 20 December some stations reported up to 300 mm cumulated precipitation which is equivalent to the normal annual rainfall amount. The highest 24 hours rainfall was reported at Carnarvon Airport on 17 December. During that day 207.8 mm fell which set an all-time record since recording began in 1883 with the previous record 119.4 mm set on 24 March 1923. Preliminary estimates placed damage at A$100 million (US$100.4 million) with at least 2000 head of cattle lost in the flood.


Tropical Cyclone Tasha

In late December, a low-pressure area was tracked for several days moving westwards towards
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 ...
. Early on
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...
( local time) it strengthened rapidly and was designated Tropical Cyclone Tasha when it was east northeast of
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
. The cyclone crossed the coast between Cairns and Innisfail at about 5:30 am, with wind gusts of up to recorded off the coast. Rainfall of about 100 mm was recorded in the space of an hour. Damage from associated flooding was estimated at A$1 billion.


Tropical Cyclone Vince

At midnight on 10 January, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that a Tropical Low had developed off the coast of
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 ...
. The system gradually intensified and became a Category 1 tropical cyclone on 12 January, receiving the name "Vince". The cyclone was initially expected to reach Category 2 status, but it became less well organised and lost cyclone intensity on 14 January.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia

On 12 January, TCWC Brisbane started monitoring Tropical Low 10U that had developed, over the Coral Sea to the northeast of Townsville in Queensland, Australia.


Tropical Cyclone Anthony

During 22 January TCWC Brisbane reported that Tropical Low 11U had developed within the northwestern Coral Sea to the northeast of Cairns, Australia. Over the next day atmospheric convection developed and organised over the systems low level circulation, as it moved southeastwards away from the Queensland Coast under the influence of an upper-level trough of low pressure. The JTWC subsequently initiated advisories on the system early on 23 January and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 09P, before TCWC Brisbane reported that the system had developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone and named it Anthony. During that day the system may have become a category 2 tropical cyclone as radar and microwave imagery showed that Anthony had a well defined circulation and was forming a partial eyewall. The system subsequently moved into an area of higher vertical windshear and weakened into a tropical low during 24 January as it moved into the South Pacific basin. The system moved back into the Australian region during 25 January but remained a tropical low over the next few days, as it moved north-westwards across the Coral Sea as a low level circulation centre with little or no associated convection. During 28 January TCWC Brisbane briefly reported that Anthony had re-intensified into a category 1 tropical cyclone, after wind shear over the system reduced due to a possible Fujiwhara interaction with a secondary circulation to the east of Anthony and Severe Tropical Cyclone Wilma. However, later that day the system turned and started moving towards the north-west as the secondary system moved to its north, which meant that Anthony became sheared again and weakened into a tropical low. The system remained a sheared tropical low until late on 29 January, when convection began to increase and organize as a result of weakening upper atmospheric wind shear. During the next day as Anthony moved towards the southwest and the Queensland coast, the JTWC re-initiated advisories on the system, before reporting that it had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of . TCWC Brisbane also reported that the system had re-intensified into a category 1 tropical cyclone during that day, before reporting that it had become a category 2 tropical cyclone with peak 10-minute sustained wind speeds of . The system subsequently made landfall on the Queensland east coast near Bowen and rapidly weakened over land. Ahead of Anthony's landfall on the Queensland east coast, tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued for the region between Innisfail,
St Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...
and
Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...
.
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 ...
and Mackay were pre-emptively declared disaster areas to aid the recovery response, while the ports of Townsville, Mackay,
Hay Point Hay Point is a coastal locality in Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It contains two towns, Hector on its north coast () and Half Tide on its south coast (). In the , the locality of Hay Point had a population of 1,306 people. Geography H ...
and Abbott Point were closed.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Bianca

Early on 21 January TCWC Darwin reported that Tropical Low 12U had developed within 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 ...
. Gradual strengthening took place and on 25 January, the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
(JTWC) began monitoring the system as Tropical Cyclone 10P. A few hours later, TCWC Perth upgraded the low into a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone, naming it Bianca. Early on the next day, TCWC Perth further upgraded Bianca to a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone. Intensification continued and late on the same day, TCWC Perth upgraded Bianca into a Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone. The system continued to intensify and became a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on 28 January. On the same day, the system started weakening rapidly and TCWC Perth downgraded Bianca into a Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone. Rain and strong winds were experienced along the
Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...
coast on 25 January. On 26 January, Bianca moved away from Kimberley and weather conditions started to improve. Bianca disrupted operations in Australia's major iron ore port and several oil facilities. In
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 ...
, preparations were underway as the system was soon expected to approach land. As soon as Bianca became a category 3 Severe tropical cyclone, strong winds lashed through
Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...
suspending oil and gas production and port facilities. Though Bianca was moving away and the level of risk was going down, coastal communities between Onslow and
Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...
remained on a red alert as the system intensified. On 28 January, according to the media, there was a chance for Bianca to start weakening, as it was moving further south into a colder, high pressure zone. The last cyclone to track south of Perth was Cyclone Ned in 1989. Severe Tropical Cyclone Bianca was expected to make landfall around
Mandurah Mandurah ( ) is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306. Mandurah's central business dis ...
as a weak Category 1 or strong Tropical Low late on 30 January. A Cyclone Warning was issued for the area between just north of Jurien Bay and Albany, including Perth. However, the warnings were cancelled on 30 January as Bianca dissipated south of Western Australia in the afternoon of 30 January. The airmass around Bianca was responsible for giving Perth and the Southwest of WA a taste of the tropics with severe thunderstorms, unrelated to Bianca, springing up on 29 January causing damage in the
Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...
region. Two deaths were attributed to damaging severe thunderstorms that formed along the storm's outer rainbands.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi

Yasi entered the Australian region from the South Pacific basin on 31 January. By the time Yasi crossed into the basin, preparations for the storm were under way. Media outlets referred to the storm as "what could be the state's worst cyclone in history." Many feared that the tropical cyclone could cause damage more severe than
Cyclone Larry Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005–06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March 2006, and ...
in 2006 and
Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...
, which nearly destroyed Darwin, in 1974. Thousands of residents in the path of the storm were urged to evacuate by Premier Anna Bligh. Yasi crossed the
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 ...
coast near Mission Beach shortly after midnight ( local time) on 3 February. At that time, the large destructive core around the eye extended between Innisfail and
Cardwell, Queensland Cardwell is a coastal town and rural Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Cardwell had a population of 1,320 people. Geography The Bruce Highway Highway 1 ...
. Yasi caused at least $3.6 billion (2011 USD) in damage, becoming the costliest tropical cyclone recorded in the Australian region. Accounting for inflation, Yasi was the second-costliest tropical cyclone in Australia's history, after
Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...
. One death occurred due to asphyxiation in Ingham.


Tropical Low 15U

A low formed off the Western Australian coast on 8 February and drifted steadily west south west for the next few days. On 11 February, the Bureau of Meteorology identified the system as Tropical Low 15U and began monitoring the system for further development. Later that day, the JTWC began issuing advisories on the system under the name 14S. The storm was expected to reach minimal category 1 cyclone intensity (Australian scale) on 12 February but high shear, cool sea temperatures and poor organisation saw the system stay as a low.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Dianne

Tropical Low 16U developed within a monsoon trough during 14 February, about to the north of Port Hedland in Western Australia. Over the next few days, the system remained well offshore and was steered drifted towards the west-southwest by a ridge of high pressure while slowly developing further. A Cyclone watch was issued for the coastal communities between Onslow to Coral Bay. Late on 16 February, the low formed into Tropical Cyclone Dianne whilst 445 km NW of Exmouth. Dianne intensified as expected and was upgraded to a Category 2 cyclone on 18 February whilst slowly moving towards the SSW. On 19 February the system intensified into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone. By late 21 February the system lost its strength as it moved into colder waters and was downgraded to a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone, and by 22 February it was classified as an ex-Tropical low.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Carlos

On 14 February the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in Darwin reported that a tropical low formed near latitude 13.2S, longitude 130.7E, about west southwest of Batchelor. A severe weather warning was issued for northwest Darwin- Daly District and the
Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island, Bathurst I ...
. Heavy rain pounded the area on 15 February with reports of Marrara recording and
Darwin International Airport Darwin International Airport is a domestic and international airport serving Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the eleventh busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements, with almost 2 million passengers travelli ...
of rain. This was later followed by of rain in just 24 hours, which is the highest 24-hour rainfall for the city on record. On 16 February the slow moving system strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Carlos causing localised flooding and damage to homes, with fallen trees. Schools in Darwin, Darwin International Airport and East Arm Wharf were closed. After looping around the Darwin area overnight and back over land the system weakened on 17 February and BOM downgraded it to a Tropical low. A record three-day total of rain was recorded at Darwin International Airport due to the lingering of the system. The system moved slowly southwest on 18 February moving towards the Northern Territory/Western Australian border with a possibility of restrengthening. The community of Daly River received of rainfall. On 19 February the system passed into the Northern
Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...
region. Rainfall totals were not as large as in previous days.
Wyndham Wyndham may refer to: *Wyndham (name), a surname and given name Places Australia *City of Wyndham, an LGA (local government area) in Victoria * Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, a LGA in Western Australia * Wyndham Important Bird Area, Western Aust ...
recorded while Kalumburu recorded of rainfall. In the early hours of 21 February the system returned to the open waters of the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
, causing it to redevelop back into a cyclone. The system was located northwest of Broome. The cyclone continued to track southwest at a relatively fast pace and produced a
squall line A squall line, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS), is a line of thunderstorms, often forming along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front (which often are accompanied by abrupt a ...
that generated four tornadoes in the mining town of Karratha which damaged 38 homes as well as numerous cars, buildings and a school. It also strengthened steadily to become a category 2 cyclone. On 22 February the system moved parallel to the
Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...
coast. Varanus Island recorded of rainfall and the highest wind gust recorded in the area was at Bedout Island. The system became more organised and on 23 February the record rainfall amount of was recorded at Barrow Island. The strongest gusts of recorded at Varanus Island. The cyclone crossed the
North West Cape North West Cape is a peninsula in the north-west of Western Australia. Cape Range National Park, Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge. It is in the Gascoyne region and includes the town of ...
and lashed Onslow and
Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...
with high winds up to and rain. As Carlos moved away from the western coast of Australia on 24 February it strengthened into a Severe Tropical Cyclone. Carlos also spun-off a mini tornado to Ellenbrook,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia on 28 February.


Tropical Low 18U

On 25 February, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
reported that a tropical low formed estimated to be west northwest of Kalumburu and northeast of
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
and moving slowly southwest parallel to the north Kimberly coast. In the early hours of 28 February the tropical low moved inland from
King Sound King Sound is a large gulf in northern Western Australia. It expands from the mouth of the Fitzroy River (Western Australia), Fitzroy River, one of Australia's largest watercourses, and opens to the Indian Ocean. It is about long, and averag ...
. Heavy rainfall was reported on the
Dampier Peninsula The Dampier Peninsula is a peninsula located north of Broome, Western Australia, Broome and Roebuck Bay in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia, named after the mariner and explorer William Dampier who visited ...
east and southeast of
Port Hedland A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...
, including Telfer and parts of the De Grey catchment. Derby recorded of rain while Camballin received and the aboriginal community of Looma had . The tropical low continued moving overland and the BOM issued their final advisory on 28 February.


Tropical Low 23U (Cherono)

On 10 March TCWC Perth reported that Tropical Low 23U, had developed within TCWC Jakarta's area of responsibility about to the east of Jakarta, Indonesia. Over the next couple of days the low remained slow moving. On 13 March, the low briefly moved into TCWC Perth's area of responsibility, before crossing 90°E and moving out of the Australian region and into the South-West Indian Ocean. It later developed into Tropical Storm Cherono.


Tropical Cyclone 25U

Towards the end of March, a tropical low developed within the monsoon trough, in the western Arafura Sea to the north of the
Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island, Bathurst I ...
. Over the next few days, the system moved south-westwards and passed over the Tiwi Islands during 31 March. Over the next few days the system slowly moved around the Arafura Sea, before TCWC Darwin initiated advisories on the low during 30 March as atmospheric convection surrounding the system organised further. During February 2022, a reanalysis of the system showed that it had developed into a tropical cyclone during 2 April, before it made landfall on the northern Kimberley coast.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Errol

During 12 April the Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported that Tropical Low 29U, had developed over the Timor Sea to the south of Timor-Leste. Over the next couple of days the system moved southwards towards the Australian state of Kimberly and intensified gradually before it was declared a category 1 tropical cyclone and named Errol by the BoM early on 15 April. During February 2022, the BoM reanalysed the system and reported Errol had peaked as a Category 3 Severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained winds of .


Other systems

During 15 December, Tropical Low 04U was located to the northeast of
Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy () is a town and locality in the far north of the Northern Territory of Australia. Founded on the Gove Peninsula in north-east Arnhem Land when a bauxite mine and deep water port were established in the late 1960s, the town's econ ...
, though TCWC Darwin did not mention their low in their next bulletin. On 30 December, TCWC Perth started issuing advisories on Tropical Low 06U that had developed inland over the
Top End The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a ...
of
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 ...
. On 1 January, when 06U had emerged over the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
waters, it was forecast that it would intensify into a tropical cyclone, though shear had caused the low to struggle to develop. TCWC Perth issued its final advisory the next day as 06U weakened to a low-pressure area. On 31 January, Tropical Low 13U developed well over in the Indian Ocean. Tropical Low 19U developed over in the southern
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 ...
on 26 February, monitored by TCWC Darwin. 19U was last noted on 1 March as it was close the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
and
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 ...
border with a pressure of 1000 hPa. During 5 March, Tropical Low 20U briefly developed about west of
Lockhart River, Queensland Lockhart River is a town in the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and a coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Lockhart River and the Shire of Cook, on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, A ...
. On 7 March, the BoM reported that Tropical Low 21U had developed within the Coral Sea, about to the northwest of Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia. During that day, the low tracked eastwards, and gradually intensified. On 8 March it continued eastwards. Later that day, the low moved out of the Australian region, entered the
South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
and was assigned the new designation 12F. Tropical Low 22U briefly developed during 11 March over
Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...
associated within the monsoon trough. Tropical Low 26U, located north of
Pilbara coast The Pilbara Coast is the coastline of Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is often referred to as the North West Coast of Western Australia. It is a complex array of river mouths, ports, peninsulas, and islands. Geography North West Cap ...
and Tropical Low 27U, over in the 90° east median, developed on 30 March. Both lows did not intensify further and dissipated while last mentioned in the bulletins of TCWC Perth during 3 April, though 27U moved into the South-West Indian Ocean basin and the MFR gave the designation of ''08R''. On 14 April, Tropical Low 28U developed to the northwest of
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
until it crossed the basin into the South Pacific the next day.


Storm names


Bureau of Meteorology

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology monitors all tropical cyclones within the region, and assigns names to tropical cyclones that form outside of the areas of responsibility of TCWC Jakarta and TCWC Port Moresby. The names for the 2010-11 season are listed below:


TCWC Jakarta

The tropical cyclone warning centre in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
monitors tropical cyclones from the
Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
to 11°S and between the
longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
s 90°E and 145°E. If a tropical depression reach tropical cyclone strength within TCWC Jakarta's area of responsibility, it will be assigned the next name from the following list:


Others

If a tropical cyclone enters the Australian region from the South Pacific basin (east of 160°E), it will retain the name assigned to it by the
Fiji Meteorological Service The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) is a Department of the government of Fiji responsible for providing weather forecasts and is based on the grounds of Nadi Airport in Nadi. The current director of Fiji Meteorological Service is Misaeli Funak ...
(FMS) or
MetService Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, or simply MetService (), is the national meteorological service of New Zealand. MetService was established as a state-owned enterprise in 1992. It employs about 300 staff, and its headquarters are ...
. Similarly, if a tropical cyclone enters the Australian region from the South-West Indian Ocean cyclone region (west of 90°E), it will retain the name assigned to it on behalf of Météo-France La Réunion by the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centres in
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
or
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. This season, the following systems were named in this manner: * Abele (named by Météo-France) * Yasi (named by FMS)


Retirement

The Bureau of Meteorology retired the names ''Tasha'' and ''Carlos'', replacing them with ''Taliah'' and ''Courtney'' respectively. The name ''Yasi'' was also retired from the FMS and replaced with the name ''Yvonne'' for the next list.


Season effects

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2010–11 Queensland floods 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, which caused over A$ 30 billion.
, - , 06U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Northern Territory, Western Australia , , None , , None , , , - , 07U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 08U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Vince , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Zelia , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Anthony , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Queensland , , Minor , , None , , , - , Bianca , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Northern Territory, Western Australia , , Unknown , , 2 , , , - , 13U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Yasi , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Solomon Islands, Australia , , $ , , 1 , , , - , 15U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Dianne , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Western Australia , , Minimal , , None , , , - , Carlos , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Northern Territory, Western Australia , , , , None , , , - , 18U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 19U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Northern Territory , , None , , None , , , - , 20U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 21U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 22U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 23U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 25U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Western Australia , , None , , None , , , - , 26U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 27U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 28U , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Errol , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , West Timor , , None , , None , , , -


See also

* Tropical cyclones in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
*
Australian region tropical cyclone An Australian region tropical cyclone is a non- frontal, low-pressure system that has developed within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures and little vertical wind shear aloft in either the Southern Indian Ocean or the South Pacifi ...
*
List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons The tropical cyclone seasons that occur in the Southern Hemisphere are: *South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone **Current – South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season *Australian region tropical cyclone **Current – Australian region cyclon ...
* Atlantic hurricane seasons:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
* Pacific hurricane seasons:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
* Pacific typhoon seasons:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
*
2010–11 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season The 2010–11 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was the least active cyclone season on record in the basin, tied with 1982–83, producing only three systems of gale intensity. This was due to cooler than normal water temperatures and th ...
*
2010–11 South Pacific cyclone season The 2010–11 South Pacific cyclone season was an average tropical cyclone season, with seven tropical cyclones and five severe tropical cyclones developing during the season. The season ran from November 1, 2010, until April 30, 2011, though if ...
*
South Atlantic tropical cyclone South Atlantic tropical cyclones are unusual weather events that occur in the Southern Hemisphere. Strong wind shear, which disrupts the formation of Tropical cyclone, cyclones, as well as a lack of weather disturbances favorable for development ...


Notes


References


External links


World Meteorological Organization

Bureau of Meteorology (TCWC's Perth, Darwin & Brisbane)

Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Jakarta

Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 Australian Region Cyclone season Australian region cyclone seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines 2010 Aus 2011 Aus