Cyclone Ingrid 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 ...

which struck northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

during the 2004–05 Australian region cyclone season. Its minimum pressure was 924

mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea leve ...

(

hPa HPA may refer to: Organizations * Harry Potter Alliance, a charity * Halifax Port Authority, Canada * Hamburg Port Authority, Germany * Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a school in Hawaii, US * Health Protection Agency, UK * Heerespersonalamt, the Ger ...

Meteorological history

Originally a low-pressure system north of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Ingrid moved eastward and developed into a tropical cyclone in 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 ...

on 6 March 2005. A strong pressure gradient rapidly developed within the system as it headed west resulting in a category rating of 5 by 8 March. The eye, with very destructive wind gusts up to 220 km/h within a 20 km radius, reached the far northern coast of the

n state of

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_ ...

between 6am and 9am on 10 March 2005

AEST Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Western Standard Time (AWST; UTC+08:00), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST; UTC+09:30), and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST; UTC+10:00). Time is regulated by the individual state gov ...

, and hit 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 ...

. However, it was downgraded to a Category 2 storm as it crossed the peninsula north of the towns of Coen and Lockhart River. After passing the town of

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

, Ingrid gained strength once again as it moved out across 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 ...

towards the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. It struck the town of

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 ...

as a Category 5 storm. It crossed 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 ...

in the early hours of 13 March, heading west. Ingrid struck 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 ...

as a Category 4 storm, and moved west into the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs, ...

, being downgraded to a category 3 due to the passage over land. Winds were in excess of 200 km/h. On 15 March Ingrid approached the north coast of the

Kimberley region of Western Australia The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...

as a Category 4 storm, and made landfall near Kalumburu shortly afterwards. It quickly weakened as it moved inland, and soon completely dissipated. (Note: The storm categories above are as defined by the Australian

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...

, and differ from those used in the United States.)

Preparations

Queensland

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

, several hundred residents, including some in Aboriginal communities, evacuated from areas deemed vulnerable to shelters by 9 March. Tourists in resorts on

Lizard Island Lizard Island is an island on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland (Australia), northwest of Brisbane and part of the Lizard Island Group that also includes Palfrey Island. It is part of the Lizard Island National Park. Lizard Island is within ...

and

Cape Tribulation Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the , Cape Tribulation had a population of 118 people. Geography The locality is north of Cairns. It is within the Daintree Na ...

were evacuated the same day. Local communities throughout the coastline were supplied with sandbags and relief materials. To reduce damage from trees, workers cut numerous trees down ahead of the storm. Three Aboriginal communities, with a total population of 1,500, and nearby

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

, home to 2,000 people, were placed on standby for evacuation. In

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, emergency officials stockpiled sandbags and concerns were raised about 20% of the 130,000 people that live in the city never experiencing a cyclone within the past five years. In Lockhart River, an estimated 700 people evacuated to shelters prior to the storm. On the western coast of Queensland, residents took precautions prior to a weakened Ingrid as a "code blue alert" was declared.

Northern Territory

On 11 March, officials in the Northern Territory advised the 4,000 residents of

to evacuate to higher ground. On Melville Island, 1,500 aborigines evacuated to shelter throughout the island. One of the most important local events, the Australian rules football final, was cancelled due to Ingrid. On

Croker Island Croker Island is an island in the Arafura Sea off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia, northeast of Darwin. It was the site of the Croker Island Mission between 1940 and 1968. Indigenous peoples At the earliest time of European co ...

, 300 residents evacuated to cyclone shelters prior to the storm.

Western Australia

In Kalumburu, residents in the most vulnerable areas were evacuated to shelters.

Impact

Papua New Guinea

Rough seas produced by Cyclone Ingrid capsized a boat off the coast of Papua New Guinea, killing five of the 13 occupants.

Queensland

Damages from the storm in Queensland amounted to A$5.3 million (US$4.1 million).

Northern Territory

The isolated communities along the coast of

suffered considerable damage, and there was localised flooding in the coastal areas due to high tides. On

, 30 homes sustained damage, some of which lost their roofs, numerous trees were downed, power was cut to most residences, cars were completely destroyed and numerous roads were damaged. Nearly all trees on the island were leveled by wind gusts. Schools were reportedly destroyed in addition to several homes. Much of the infrastructure of the

was affected, some suffering consequential damage due to trees falling on buildings and vehicles. Damages on the islands amounted to A$5 million (US$3.9 million). Throughout the Northern Territory, an additional A$10 million (US$6.4 million) in damages resulted from Ingrid. Darwin experienced high winds and heavy rain, but was only affected by the southern edge of the cyclone.

Western Australia

The

Great Northern Highway Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...

was closed between Kununurra and

Halls Creek Halls is a plural of the word hall. Halls may also refer to: People * Walter Halls (1871–1953), British trade unionist and politician * Ethel May Halls (1882–1967), American actress * Julian Halls (born 1967), British field hockey player * ...

for a period of 36 hours due to flooding. A resort area, known as "Faraway Bay", northeast of Kalumburu was completely destroyed by the storm. Numerous boats were found inland after being washed away by the storm surge. Numerous homes lost power and water supply, some sustained major roof damage and severe flooding isolated a few communities. Large areas of forested area were completely destroyed by Ingrid.

References

External links

Australian Bureau of Meteorology: Tropical Cyclone Ingrid

(Aust BC News, 14 March 2005. 10:58pm, AEDT)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080419051128/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1318998.htm Cyclone Ingrid maintains intensity (from ABC News Online - Wednesday, 9 March 2005. 1:03am AEDT)
Emergency services prepare for Cyclone Ingrid (from ABC News Online - Tuesday, 8 March 2005. 10:09pm AEDT)

and findings delivered at a seminar in Darwin on 7 September 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingrid (2005) 2005 in Australia 2004–05 Australian region cyclone season History of Western Australia Retired Australian region cyclones Category 5 Australian region cyclones

Ingrid Ingrid may refer to: * Ingrid (given name) * Ingrid (record label), and artist collective * Ingrid Burley, rapper known mononymously as Ingrid * Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cyclones * 1026 Ingrid, an asteroid * InGrid, the grid computing project ...

Meteorological history

Preparations

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

Impact

Papua New Guinea

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

See also

References

External links