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Severe Tropical Cyclone Rona (
JTWC 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 ...
designation: 20P) and Severe Tropical Cyclone Frank (JTWC designation: 22P; RSMC Nadi designation: 16F) were a pair of tropical cyclones that affected
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_ ...
and
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
during the
1998–99 Australian region cyclone season The 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season was an above average tropical cyclone season that featured Gwenda, the most intense tropical cyclone in the Australian Region (later tied with Inigo in 2003) . It began on 1 November 1998 and ended o ...
and the
1998–99 South Pacific cyclone season The 1998–99 South Pacific cyclone season was a near average South Pacific tropical cyclone season, with 8 tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific Ocean basin between 160°E and 120°W. Despite the season starting on November 1, ...
. Rona originated from a low that developed on 9 February about to the northeast of
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 ...
. Over the next couple of days, the low slowly developed further before it was upgraded into a Category 1 cyclone on the Australian intensity scale 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 ...
on 10 February as it started to move towards the southwest. Subsequently, Rona rapidly intensified just before making landfall near 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 ...
. While the low-level circulation became difficult to locate on 12 February, the upper-level circulation eventually emerged 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 ...
and later regenerated into Tropical Cyclone Frank. The system rapidly intensified before making landfall on New Caledonia as a Category 2 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale in the early morning hours of 20 February. Frank was re-classified as an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
the next day. Seven deaths were reported from Rona and a state of disaster was declared. Over 2,000 fled their homes due to flooding and many residents were caught off-guard for the storm. Significant crop damage was reported. Overall, Rona brought $150 million (1999
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
) in damage to Queensland. Minor damage was reported in New Caledonia. After the season, the name "Rona" was retired from the
list of tropical cyclone names Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
.


Meteorological history

On 9 February 1999, 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 ...
(BoM) started to monitor a
tropical low 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 had developed within the
monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, ...
about to the northeast of
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 ...
, in
Queensland, Australia ) , 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_ ...
. At this time strong westerly winds persisted around the northern side of the low, however, a weak
pressure gradient In atmospheric science, the pressure gradient (typically of Earth's atmosphere, air but more generally of any fluid) is a physical quantity that describes in which direction and at what rate the pressure increases the most rapidly around a particu ...
and light winds existed to the south of the system and the monsoon trough. This was because of a deep area of low pressure near south-eastern Queensland, had an intense pressure gradient to its south, which prevented the
trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...
extending up to the monsoon trough. Throughout 9 February the tropical low moved eastwards under the influence of a middle-to upper-level trough over eastern Australia, however, over the next day the trough dissipated along with the deep area of low pressure. As a result, an area of strong ridging developed to the south of the system, while the trade winds rapidly extended northwards to the monsoon trough. The upper level pattern also became favorable for further development, with an outflow channel forming on the equator-ward side of the system. The low subsequently rapidly intensified during 10 February, with atmospheric convection surrounding the system dramatically improving. The system was subsequently named Rona by the BoM later that day, after it had developed into a category one tropical cyclone on the
Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...
. At around the same time 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 ...
(JTWC) initiated advisories and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 20P, after it had become equivalent to a tropical storm. As it was named the system was located about to the east of the northern Queensland coast, and had started to move towards the southwest under the influence of the subtropical ridge of high pressure. After the system had been named the system continued to intensify, and became a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale early on 11 February. The system subsequently moved rapidly west-northwest towards the Queensland coast as the ridge strengthened. Just before Rona made landfall the JTWC estimated that the system had peak 10-minute sustained wind speeds of , this made it equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. However, during their post system analysis they lowered their estimate, to between which made it equivalent to a tropical storm. The BoM subsequently estimated that the system had peak 10-minute sustained wind speeds of when it made landfall on the Queensland coast, at around 1300 UTC (2300 EST) on 11 February just to the north of Cow Bay near the mouth of the
Daintree River The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area ...
. The system maintained its west-northwest movement as it tracked over land, and according to the BoM maintained cyclone intensity until later that day after it had become difficult to track a definite low level centre. Over the next 24 hours the JTWC continued to track Rona as a tropical cyclone as it moved through the Great Dividing Range. Late on 12 February, the JTWC issued their final advisory on Rona after the system had weakened below cyclone intensity and deep convection, associated with the system had dissipated despite fair upper-level outflow. The JTWC subsequently tracked Rona's remnants into the Gulf of Carpentaria, however over the next few days the BoM tracked the systems remnant low to mid-level circulation as it moved southward. During 16 February, the system's low to mid-level circulation moved off Queensland's east coast, and tracked eastwards across the Coral Sea within the monsoon trough to the south of the subtropical ridge of high pressure. Early on February 17, the JTWC initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 22P, while it was located about to the east-northeast of Rockhampton, Australia. Later on 18 February, RSMC Nadi remarked that Tropical Depression 16F had moved east of 160°E and into their
area of responsibility Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and cond ...
. Meanwhile, they also noted that 16F had intensified into a category one tropical cyclone and was thus named Frank. At the time of the upgrade, the storm was centered west-northwest of Nouméa, New Caledonia. By this time, an upper-level trough over eastern Australia moved into the
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
. The poleward outflow of Frank improved; as a result, Frank rapidly intensified over the next 24 hours. Frank made landfall near the northern tip of
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
at peak intensity with winds of 145 km/h (90 mph) at 0000 UTC on 20 February. Even though the JTWC operationally assessed the peak intensity at 185 km/h (115 mph), this was lowered to 175 km/h (110 mph) during post-storm analysis. After making landfall on New Caledonia, Frank maintained peak intensity for 18 hours. Soon afterwards, northwesterly
wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
and cooler
sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masse ...
caused Frank to weaken rapidly. During the morning of 21 February, RSMC Nadi passed warning responsibility to
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService - Te Ratonga Tirorangi) 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 headqua ...
(TCWC Wellington) as the cyclone had moved south of 25°S. Roughly 18 hours later, Frank merged with a trough to form an intense
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
, which eventually made landfall on the
South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of New Zealand near Westport. The system was last noted by MetService during 27 February while it was located about to the southeast of Wellington, New Zealand.


Impact and aftermath


Australia

Initially, the system was not considered a major threat to Queensland. A day prior to landfall, the system was only considered a tropical low and was not expecting to intensify. Most residents did not know a powerful storm was coming until four hours before landfall. However, once officials realized that Rona was a serious threat, they started taking precautions. In fact, they feared that if the storm struck at high tide,
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
would be devastated. All air travel was cancelled about a day before landfall. Upon making landfall in Queensland, Cyclone Rona a maximum
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
of was noted at the mouth of the
Mossman River The Mossman River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia. The headwaters of the river rise under Devils Thumb on the Mount Carbine Tableland in the Great Dividing Range. The river flows through a dee ...
while a storm surge was recorded in
Port Douglas Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...
. The highest rains associated with Rona, , were measured at
Bellenden Ker Mount Bellenden Ker is the second-highest mountain in Queensland, Australia, with a height of . It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state' ...
in Northern Queensland. Cyclone Rona was responsible for the worst flooding in northern Queensland in 30 years. As a result, 2,000 people fled their homes. Strong winds and flooding caused significant crop and infrastructure damage from Cape Kimberly to
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 ...
. In the former, some trees were toppled. Near Daintree, two homes were destroyed, while 12 others were damaged. In addition, a car was crushed by a falling tree. Many workers were unable to get home due to flooding and travel was disrupted throughout the region. In all, seven deaths were attributed to the storm and damage estimates from Cyclone Rona totaled $150 million (1999
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
) in Queensland with roughly $100 million of that coming from crop damage. On February 12, a
disaster area A disaster area is a region or a locale that has been heavily damaged by either natural, technological or social hazards. Disaster areas affect the population living in the community by dramatic increase in expense, loss of energy, food and serv ...
was declared for
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 ...
and Innisfail due to the severity of damage caused by the storm. Platypuses were spotted along the banks of flooded rivers. Both the names Frank and Rona were retired from the lists of tropical cyclone names after the system had dissipated.


New Caledonia

Cyclone Frank affected two thirds of New Caledonia's Grande Terre island between 20–21 February. Several townships within the north-western parts of the archipelago suffered from power outages, disruption to water supply and telecommunications, while some landslides were reported on coastal roads. Despite the systems center passing about to the west of Noumea, the city experienced relatively light winds as the system possessed a very small radius of damaging winds. Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion and the Royal Australian Air Force launched a search and rescue mission during 22 February, after three men whose yacht had sunk went missing. The men were subsequently found by the Orion during the next day, while located about to the southwest of Nouméa just outside the search zone. The French Navy vessel
Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...
, subsequently picked the sailors up later that day.


See also

*
1998–99 Australian region cyclone season The 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season was an above average tropical cyclone season that featured Gwenda, the most intense tropical cyclone in the Australian Region (later tied with Inigo in 2003) . It began on 1 November 1998 and ended o ...
* 1998-99 South Pacific cyclone season *
List of wettest tropical cyclones This is a list of the wettest tropical cyclones, listing all tropical cyclones known to have dropped at least of precipitation on a single location. Data is most complete for Australia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Yap, Chu ...


References


External links


Queensland cyclone photographs
State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...
. Includes photographs of the aftermath of Cyclone Rona. {{DEFAULTSORT:RONA-FRANK 1999 Tropical cyclones in Queensland Rona Category 3 Australian region cyclones F 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season Retired South Pacific cyclones