Tropical Cyclone Grant was a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

that affected Queensland and the Northern Territory in late December 2011 and early January 2012.

Meteorological history

On 21 December, the United States

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 ...

and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in

Darwin, Australia Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

, began monitoring an area of low pressure that had developed about to the northeast of Darwin. Tropical Low 04U developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the morning of 25 December and moved slowly towards the

Cobourg Peninsula The Cobourg Peninsula is located east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about , and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 to 30 in five ...

. The system reached Category 2 strength in the afternoon of 25 December. In the evening of 28 December the system, downgraded to a tropical low, moved back onto the waters of the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

. The system continued to move eastward across the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

and into the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

, even as the storm weakened, until Grant underwent an extratropical transition on 2 January 2012. Later on the same day, the extratropical remnant of Grant dissipated.

Preparations and impact

Northern Territory

A gale warning was issued for Darwin and the Tiwi Islands on 24 December. The system intensified on 25 December, reaching Category 2 status in the afternoon, and a cyclone watch was declared between Dundee Beach and

Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy () is a township that is the sixth largest population centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nhulunbuy was created on the Gove Peninsula in north-east Arnhem Land when a bauxite mine and a deep water port were established ...

, with a cyclone warning issued for areas between

Cape Fourcroy Cape Fourcroy is located at the western tip of Bathurst Island. Cyclone Tracy passed through here in December 1974. It is the location of Cape Fourcroy Light, an active lighthouse. It is believed that the cape was named after Antoine François, ...

and

Milingimbi Milingimbi Island, also Yurruwi, is the largest island of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Location Milingimbi lies approximately east of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and west of N ...

including the

Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( tiw, Ratuati Irara meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Bathurst Island, and nine smaller uninhabited islands, wi ...

. The system crossed

Van Diemen Gulf Van Diemen Gulf is a gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia. It connects to the Timor Sea in the north via Dundas Strait. Most of its area is also gazetted as a locality with the name Van Diemen Gulf. History The gulf was named after the ...

and made a second landfall east of Point Stuart in the early morning of 26 December. Shortly thereafter the cyclone was downgraded to Category 1, and by that afternoon it was downgraded to a tropical low as it passed

Jabiru The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has been reported as far north as Mississippi. ...

Kakadu National Park Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, southeast of Darwin. It is a World Heritage Site. Kakadu is also gazetted as a locality, covering the same area as the national park, with 313 people recorded liv ...

. Jabiru Airport had received of rain by 9:00am on 26 December. On 27 December the system was moving slowly south-east across

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

, causing heavy rainfall. Ediths Fall Ridge recorded of rainfall, which produced damaging flooding. A cyclone watch was issued on 27 December from Nhulunbuy to Numbalwar, including

Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba'' meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "Large Island" in ...

. Flooding associated with the system in the

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

area cut off the

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australia, Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and sou ...

, washed cars off bridges and derailed a train. The Adelaide–Darwin railway was severely damaged by the derailment of the

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...

freight train.

The Ghan ''The Ghan'' is an experiential tourism oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin on the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor. O ...

was forced to stop with 200 passengers in Katherine. One week after the cyclone had passed freight companies were poised to raise transportation costs as shipping to Darwin would need to be done by road. The railway between Katherine and Darwin would be out of service until the end of January 2012. On 28 December the system moved eastward, bringing with it heavy rainfall to the Roper-

McArthur River The McArthur River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria at Port McArthur, opposite the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands. The river was named by Ludwig Leichhardt while he explored the are ...

districts.

Queensland

A cyclone watch was issued for

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

for coastal areas from

Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately north of Cape ...

to Gilbert River Mouth but was later cancelled when the system did not re-intensify to Category 1 strength. Late on 29 December the system as a tropical monsoon low was northwest of Pormpuraaw on the Cape York Peninsula before making landfall in the early morning of 30 December south of Wiepa near the aboriginal community of

Aurukun Aurukun is a town and coastal suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Aurukun and the Shire of Cook in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is an Indigenous Australian, Indigenous community. In the , the locality of Aurukun ...

. A severe weather warning was issued for the Peninsula, North Tropical Coast and Gulf Country districts. Later on 30 December the monsoon low passed Coen and out into the waters of the

References

External links

Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC)
.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology (TCWC's Perth, Darwin & Brisbane)
.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant (2011) 2011–12 Australian region cyclone season Category 2 Australian region cyclones

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...