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The 2012–13 Australian region cyclone season was a slightly below 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 event in the ongoing cycle of
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 ...
formation. It officially started on 1 November 2012, and officially ended on 30 April 2013, despite Cyclone Zane being an active system at the time (it dissipated a day later on 1 May). The regional tropical cyclone operational plan defines a "tropical cyclone year" separately from a "tropical cyclone season"; the "tropical cyclone year" began on 1 July 2012 and ended on 30 June 2013. The scope of the Australian region is limited to all areas south of 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 ...
, east of 90°E and west of 160°E. This area includes Australia,
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 ...
, western parts of the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
,
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
and southern parts of
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. Tropical cyclones in this area are monitored by five Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs): 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 ...
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 ...
, Darwin, and
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 ...
; TCWC
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 ...
in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
; and TCWC
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
in
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 ...
. 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 ...
issues unofficial warnings for the region, designating tropical depressions with the "S" suffix when they form west of 145°E, and the "P" suffix when they form east of 145°E. __TOC__


Seasonal forecasts

During each tropical cyclone year, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology National Climate Centre (BoM), the Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre, New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and partners issue seasonal forecasts for the Australian region and its various subregions. Since a tropical cyclone can move through a region, the actual number of tropical cyclones in a region include any that form in or move into a region from another.


Bureau of Meteorology

In October 2012, ahead of the season starting on 1 November, the BoM issued seasonal forecasts for the whole Australian region, one for each of the subregions Western, North-Western, Northern and Eastern Australia with each one covering the whole tropical cyclone year. For each forecast they took into account, the current neutral ENSO conditions and the near El Niño conditions that had been observed during that summer. For the whole region they predicted that the season would be below average, with a 63% chance that it would be below average and a 37% chance that it would be above average. For the Western region between 90°E and 125°E, the BoM forecast that the area would see activity near to or slightly below the average, with a 43% chance of a below average cyclone activity. For the North-Western subregion between 105°E and 130°E, it was predicted that there was a 58% chance of below average tropical cyclone activity, while TCWC Perth noted that there was a likelihood of two tropical cyclones and one severe tropical cyclone impacting Western Australia. There was no tendency towards an above or below average tropical cyclone season for the Northern Territory which was defined as being between as being 125°E and 142.5°E, while the Eastern region had a 57% chance of having a below average tropical cyclone season. The BoM also issued seasonal forecasts for the South Pacific region between 142.5°E and 120°W, one for the Western Southern Pacific region between 142.5°E and 165°E and one for the Eastern Southern Pacific region between 165°E and 120°W. They noted that the current neutral ENSO conditions would historically suggest the South Pacific region as a whole would experience near average tropical cyclone activity during the coming season. However, because of the warmer than average
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 that were experienced in the central equatorial Pacific during July, August and September 2012, the western Southern Pacific had a 65% chance for average to below average tropical cyclone activity. For the Eastern part of the region the BoM predicted that it had a 55% chance of above average tropical cyclones, while for the overall region, they predicted that the region would experience a near average amount of tropical cyclones with a 53% chance of having an above average number of tropical cyclones.


Others

During October 2012, the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and its partners issued a tropical cyclone outlook, for the South Pacific region between 135°E and 120°W. The outlook predicted that the region would see a near average or slightly above average amount of tropical cyclones with between 9 and 12 systems predicted to develop or move into the region. NIWA also predicted that countries west of the International Date Line, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji were likely to experience an average to slightly above normal risk of a tropical cyclone. During December 2012, the Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre (GCACIC), issued a seasonal forecast for the whole basin and one each for the regions to the east and west of 135°E. This season the GCACIC predicted that tropical cyclone activity in the entire Australian region and the western Australian region was likely to be near-normal and predicted 12 and 9 tropical cyclone respectively. For the eastern Australian region, the GCAIC predicted that tropical cyclone activity would be below average and only predicted 4 tropical cyclones to develop.


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 ...
)"


Systems


Tropical Cyclone Mitchell

On 27 December, Tropical Low 04U developed within a monsoon trough about north-northwest of Karratha. The following day, a significant
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
developed over the low and banding features began forming to the northwest of the center. Development was further aided by an
anticyclone A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...
situated just to the east, providing dual outflow channels. Later on 28 December, the JTWC classified the system as a tropical storm as the banding features consolidated around the low's center and a
scatterometer A scatterometer or diffusionmeter is a scientific instrument to measure the return of a beam of light or radar waves scattered by diffusion in a medium such as air. Diffusionmeters using visible light are found in airports or along roads to measur ...
pass revealed winds of 55 to 65 km/h (35 to 40 mph). Some intensification was expected as the storm tracked generally southward along the edge of a subtropical ridge before moving over cooler waters. On 29 December, TCWC Perth classified the system as Tropical Cyclone Mitchell, the first named storm in the western region for the season. The storm ultimately attained peak winds of and a pressure of 990 mb (hPa; 29.23 inHg) before weakening below tropical cyclone strength on 30 December. The system persisted for two more days off the coast of Western Australia before dissipating well to the west of
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 ...
on 1 January 2013.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle

On 4 January, a tropical low developed within a
monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...
over the
Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...
. Over the following several days, the system gradually tracked westward and intensified, being classified Tropical Cyclone Narelle on 8 January. Turning southward into a region of low wind shear, Narelle intensified into a severe tropical cyclone on 9 January. Over the following two days, the cyclone's structure fluctuated, temporarily featuring an
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
, before it maintained its organization and intensified further on 11 January. The storm attained its peak intensity later on 11 January as a Category 4 cyclone with winds of . Around the same time, the JTWC assessed Narelle to have been a Category 4-equivalent storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale with winds of . The following day, Narelle passed approximately northwest of
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 ...
as it moved on a south-southwesterly course. The system steadily weakened and ultimately fell below tropical cyclone strength on 15 January well to the west of
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 ...
. Early in the storm's existence, Narelle brought strong winds, heavy rain, and high winds to many areas in Indonesia. More than 10,000 homes were flooded and many others were damaged by thunderstorms. A total of 14 people were killed by the storm, and 17 others were listed as missing. In Western Australia, scattered strong thunderstorms caused minor damage and produced a possible
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
. Moisture from the storm spread into
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, producing light rain and bringing relief to areas suffering from a severe drought.


Tropical Low 06U

On 12 January, a weak tropical low formed over 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 ...
. The system was last noted the following day, having a pressure no lower than 1004 mb (hPa; 29.65 inHg). The United States Navy continued monitoring the system until it was last noted on 16 January.


Tropical Cyclone Oswald

On 17 January, an area of low pressure developed over 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 ...
. Situated within a region of low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures, conditions were favorable for gradual development of the system. The following day, TCWC Darwin began monitoring the system as a tropical low. Early on 19 January, the system made landfall southwest of
Borroloola Borroloola () is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located on the McArthur River, about upstream from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Location Borroloola lies on the traditional country of the Yanyuwa people, on the coastal plain ...
. By 20 January, the system completed a clockwise loop before re-emerging into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Once back over water, the system quickly organized and strengthened into a tropical cyclone early on 21 January. Radar imagery from
Mornington Island Mornington Island, also known as Kunhanhaa, is an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia. It is the northernmost and, at , the largest of 22 islands that form the Wellesley Islands group. The larg ...
depicted a well-defined low-level circulation with defined banding features wrapping into the center. Situated in a very moist air mass and over the warm waters of the Gulf, some intensification was expected before Oswald struck the
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
. Approximately 12 hours after being named, the storm made its second landfall north of Kowanyama with winds of and the final advisory was issued by TCWC Brisbane. Although over land, the system was able to maintain a defined circulation and gradually reorganized as it moved southwestward. By 23 January, deep convection redeveloped over the circulation and a strong monsoonal flow became established to its north. Although a relatively weak storm, Oswald produced torrential rains over much of Queensland. Rainfall peaked in Tully where approximately of rain fell, with falling over a 48‑hour span. The township of Scherger received a record-breaking in just 24 hours. These rains caused widespread flooding in the state that shut down many roads and isolated communities. The town of Ingham was completely cut off due to high waters. Residents in the town were advised to stock up on emergency supplies as the Herbert River rose rapidly after of rain fell in the town in just three hours. In
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 ...
, winds up to left many homes without power and waves up to prompted the cancellation of most coastal activities. Additionally, a brief tornado or waterspout with winds of touched down near Hay Point. Across the affected region, damage from severe weather and flooding amounted to at least A$2.4 billion (US$2.5 billion). The name ''Oswald'' was retired and was replaced with ''Oran.''


Tropical Low Peta

On 20 January, a weak low formed over the
Kimberley region 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 Desert, Great Sandy and Tanami Desert, Tanami deserts in t ...
of Western Australia. Partially overland, convection persisted mainly on the western half of the low as it took in moisture from the Indian Ocean. Tracking west-southwestward in response to a weak mid-level
ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
to the southeast, the system gradually intensified and was designated as Tropical Low 08U later on 21 January by TCWC Perth as it moved offshore. Throughout the day,
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
imagery from Broome depicted increasing banding features around the low. Following further convective development of the storm, the JTWC issued a TCFA late on 21 January. Approximately 24 hours later, the JTWC followed up on this alert with the first advisory on Tropical Cyclone 12S, classifying it as a tropical depression. Early on 23 January, surface observations from Cape Lambert and Roebourne indicated that the low had attained gale-force winds, prompting TCWC Perth to upgrade the system to Tropical Cyclone Peta; however, the system may not have met the technical definition of a tropical cyclone as gales did not extend more than halfway around the circulation for 6 hours. Upon being named, Peta had turned due south and subsequently made
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
near Point Samson with winds of . Hours after moving onshore, Peta rapidly weakened and the final advisory was issued during the afternoon of 23 January. On 22 January,
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 ...
shut down all shipping. Across much of western
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 ...
, Peta dropped heavy rains that caused widespread flooding. The highest 24‑hour total at Hooley Station, which marked the station's highest daily total since 1972. Several other areas recorded more than of rain from the cyclone, including Port Hedland. The rains also added 28 billion litres (7.4 billion
gallon The gallon is a unit of volume in British imperial units and United States customary units. The imperial gallon (imp gal) is defined as , and is or was used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including Ireland, Canada, Australia ...
s) at the Harding Dam, raising its storage from 40 to 80 percent. Flooding prompted officials to shut down parts of 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 ...
.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty

On 22 February, a tropical low formed northwest of Kuri Bay. Two days later, the low reached Tropical Cyclone strength and was named Rusty as it moved very slowly south towards the coast of Western Australia. A cyclone watch was declared for a large area of the Pilbara/Kimberley coastline between Broome and Mardie extending inland to Marble Bar. Rusty remained relatively stationary off the Western Australian coastline, reaching category 4 strength on 27 February with winds gusting to 230 km/h. Rusty made landfall on 27 February near Pardoo, 100 km East of Port Hedland. Due to the slow-moving nature of the cyclone, Port Hedland experienced 39 hours of winds of at least gale-force strength (with the maximum gust of 119 km/h), something not seen since 1942. The highest rainfall was recorded at Pardoo Station with an unconfirmed total of 482.5 mm. Confirmed falls of over 300 mm were also reported at De Grey Station and at Yarrie mine. The effects of Rusty were far reaching (paralleling Cyclone Lua almost a year ago), with areas of Southern WA and the Goldfields experiencing heavy rains. For example, the city of
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...
and the surrounding areas have had non-stop rains for over 15 hours, with totals amounting to about 88 mm for the city itself.


Tropical Low 11U

Early on 22 February, TCWC Perth started to monitor Tropical Low 11U, that had formed within the Indian Ocean, about to the east-southeast of Cocos Island. Over the next few days the low moved slowly towards the northwest and then to the south and passed about to the east of Cocos Island. Situated near the Cocos Islands for a prolonged period of time, the low produced record-breaking rains across the island. Between 23 and 25 February, of rain fell on the island, of which fell on 25 February. This greatly contributed to the island breaking its monthly rainfall record, with being measured during February. Significant flooding took place as a result of the rains, especially on Home Island where some people called the floods the worst in 100 years. The
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport () is an airport serving the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean. The airport is on West Island, one of the South Keeling Islands and capital of the territory. Histo ...
was also temporarily shut down due to "bubbling" on the airstrip. Gale-force winds associated with the system downed several trees and cut power to many homes across Home and
West Island The West Island (, ) is the unofficial name given to the city, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Lachine (specific ...
.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Sandra

A tropical low formed on 5 March in the Queensland region, and was named 19P by the JTWC. The low was renamed Sandra on 8 March as it rapidly intensified in the
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 ...
. It then moved into the South Pacific region as a Category 3 system. Upon reaching Category 4 and threatening
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 ...
, it hit
Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...
as a Category 2 storm on 15 March, despite weakening to Category 1 the day before.


Tropical Cyclone Tim

On 10 March 2013, the JTWC started tracking a tropical low approximately west south-west of the tip of
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
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 ...
. As the system began to move north-east, a subtropical ridge located to the south provided a good outflow channel, while vertical windshear continued to improve in the area. By 12 March, the JTWC upgraded the low's chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next 24 hours to medium. On 13 March, banding features began to wrap around the lows center, and the JTWC warned the system had a high chance of forming into a tropical cyclone over the next 24 hours, as it continued to move north-east. Early on 14 March, the tropical low crossed Cape York and moved into the northern
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 ...
, encountering an area of warmer sea surface temperatures and high windshear. At 10:25am EST, the TCWC Brisbane named the storm Tropical Cyclone Tim, as it intensified into a Category 1 storm with 10-minute wind speeds of . Located approximately north-east 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 ...
, Tropical Cyclone Tim began to move in an east south-easterly direction towards Willis Island. It passed directly over the island, where the automated weather station recorded 10-minute wind gusts of before the station stopped recording. By late on 14 March, Tim rapidly intensified into a Category 2 storm on the Australian Scale, with maximum 10-minute wind gusts of and a barometric pressure of 985 hPa, equal to a Tropical Storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. By 15 March, Tim began to swing towards the south-east, rather than continue its south-westerly track, and was expected to make landfall on the Queensland as a weak Category 1 or Tropical Low by 19 March. A pocket of dry air formed to the west of the storm, and caused Tim to rapidly weaken, falling back to a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone on 15 March. However, the storm managed to maintain its strength until 17 March, when the dry air finally began to erode Tims core and the Bureau of Meteorology reported that it weakened into a Tropical Low late on 17 March. The low persisted for several days in the eastern Coral Sea, moving north-west along the Queensland coast, and on 20 March, it dissipated east north-east of Cardwell on the north Queensland Coast. The remnants of the system crossed the coast near Innisfail on 21 March, bringing light winds and showers, however no significant totals were recorded, apart from an isolated fall of of rain at Innisfail. Minor damage was also sustained at the Willis Island Weather station, however it was repaired shortly after Tim's passage over the island.


Tropical Low 15U

A weak tropical low formed near the Cocos Islands on 17 March and moved south-west without any further intensification.


Tropical Low 16U

On 1 April, heavy rains, peaking at in Edith Farms Road, over the
Katherine Region The Katherine Region, known as "Big River Country", is one of five major regions in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is situated just below the tropical Top End. The Katherine region covers an area of , and has a population of 18,646, maki ...
triggered localised flooding. Several roads were temporarily closed as rivers rose up to overnight; however, waters receded later that day.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Victoria

On 6 April, TCWC Perth started to monitor a weak tropical low 17U that had developed within TCWC Jakarta's area of responsibility, about to the north-northeast of the Cocos Islands. Over the next two days, the system moved towards the south-southeast and slightly developed further, before it entered TCWC Perth's area of responsibility during 9 April. By the morning of 10 April, Victoria had intensified into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian Scale, as it moved south-southeast. However, Victoria began to weaken rapidly as it moved over an area of cool sea surface temperatures and weakened to a category 1 by 11 April. Late on 12 April, the system rapidly dissipated, without affecting the Australian mainland. The remnants of Victoria bought a bit of rain in Perth.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Zane

On 27 April, the TCWC Brisbane reported that a tropical low had formed east-southeast of
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
,
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 ...
. Late on 29 April it was upgraded to Category 1 Tropical Cyclone Zane, as it headed towards the coast of
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 ...
. A cyclone watch was issued for the Queensland coast between
Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, 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 ...
and Cooktown by the Bureau of Meteorology as Zane began to intensify. On 30 April, the watch was upgraded to a warning for the whole of Cape York peninsula, as Zane rapidly intensified, reaching Category 2 on the Australian scale late on 30 April, while moving south-west toward the Queensland coast. Initially forecast to reach Category 3, Zane began to deteriorate as it moved north-west, and began to dissipate rapidly, dropping from Category 2 to a Tropical Low in less than 24 hours. Late on 2 May, the remnant low crossed the coast near Lockhart River, causing minimal rain of less than in the
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, ...
. Zane was shown to have reached marginal Category 3 severe tropical cyclone status in the best track data post-analysis of the storm, with sustained winds of .


Other systems

During 29 December, Tropical Cyclone Freda briefly moved into the basin from the South Pacific basin, as a Category 2 tropical cyclone with winds of .


Storm names

During the season a total of 9 tropical cyclones received a name from BoM, either by TCWC
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 ...
, Darwin, or
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 ...
, when the system was judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of . There has only been one list that 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 ...
have assigned names to tropical cyclones since the 2008–09 season. Tropical cyclones named by the TCWC
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 ...
and
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
are rare, with the last named cyclones occurring during
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
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, respectively. Additionally, Freda entered the Australian region from the South Pacific Ocean region (east of 160°E) as a tropical cyclone. As the system crossed between basins intact, it retained the name assigned to it by
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 ...
.


Retirement

The Bureau of Meteorology retired the names ''Oswald'' and ''Rusty'', replacing them with ''Oran'' and ''Riordan'' respectively.


Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that have formed in the 2012–13 Australian region cyclone season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s)–denoted by bold location names â€“ damages, and death totals. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 2013 AUD and USD. , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Freda , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 3 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Solomon Islands, New Caledonia , , , , , , , - , Mitchell , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 1 tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Narelle , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 4 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , East Timor, Indonesia, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania , , , , , , 14 , , , - , 06U , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - ,
Oswald Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...
, , , , bgcolor=#, Category 1 tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Queensland, New South Wales , , , , , , 6 , , , - , Peta , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Western Australia , , Minor , , Minor , , None , , , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - ,
Rusty Rusty may refer to something covered with rust or with a rust (color). Rusty is also a nickname for people who have red hair, have a rust-hued skin tone, or have the given name Russell (given name), Russell. Rusty may also refer to: People *Rust ...
, , , , bgcolor=#, Category 4 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Western Australia, South Australia , , , , , , None , , , - , 11U , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Cocos (Keeling) Island , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Sandra , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 3 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Tim , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 2 tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Cape York Peninsula , , , , , , , - , 15U , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 16U , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Northern Territory , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Victoria , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 3 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Western Australia , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Zane , , , , bgcolor=#, Category 3 severe tropical cyclone , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Papua New Guinea, Queensland , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Tropical Low , , , , bgcolor=#, Tropical low , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , None , , , -


See also

* Tropical cyclones in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
*
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 *Atlantic hurricane seasons:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
*Pacific hurricane seasons:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
*Pacific typhoon seasons:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
*North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
* 2012–13 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season *
2012–13 South Pacific cyclone season The 2012–13 South Pacific cyclone season was a below average tropical cyclone season, with five tropical cyclones occurring within the basin between 160°E and 120°W. The season officially ran from November 1, 2012, to April 30, 2013, however ...


References


External links


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




{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 Australian Region Cyclone Season Australian region cyclone seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines 2012 Aus 2013 Aus