Cyclone Kate (2006)
Encyclopedia
Tropical Cyclone Kate was a short-lived Category 2 cyclone that remained nearly stationary for its entire existence in the northwestern Coral Sea
. Forming out of a monsoon
al trough
on 22 February, Kate rapidly intensified throughout the day. By 23 February, the system attained its peak intensity with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 985 hPa
(mbar
). Shortly thereafter, increasing wind shear
caused the storm to quickly weaken. By 24 February, the system dissipated over open waters near Queensland
, Australia
. Although Kate did not directly affect land, large swells
produced by the storm impaced beaches in Papua New Guinea
and Queensland. The waves injured six people in Australia, although no property damage was reported.
that was first identified on 22 February 2006, within a monsoon
al trough
. The system rapidly intensified
throughout the day, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology issuing their first advisory on the system that evening. Upon being classified, the system was immediately declared Tropical Cyclone Kate, skipping tropical low status. At the same time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) also began issuing advisories on the system, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 13P. The storm had developed well-defined, upper-level outflow
enhanced by diffluence over the system.
The system remained nearly stationary over the northwestern Coral Sea
. Early on 23 February, the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 985 hPa
(mbar
). However, the JTWC assessed the system to have been slightly weaker, attaining peak winds of 85 km/h (50 mph 1-minute sustained). Further intensification was anticipated as Kate slowly tracked towards Queensland
, Australia
. However, Kate stalled shortly thereafter and began to weaken due to increasing wind shear
. Rapid weakening took place throughout the day, and JTWC declared the system dissipated early on 24 February. The Bureau of Meteorology downgraded Kate to a tropical low around the same time, although they continued to monitor the storm for several more hours before reporting that it had dissipated over open waters.
, officials urged residents to ensure their disaster kits were ready and that preparations for a moderate storm, such as storing lose outdoor objects and clearing gutters, had been completed.
While the storm had no direct impact on land, large swells
affected most of the Queensland coastline. In the Shire of Noosa, six surfers sustained serious injuries after wading into turbulent waters. Waves up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tossed the six surfers, leaving them with injuries ranging from broken noses and fractured ankles to head wounds from surfboards. The waves also caused additional beach erosion to parts of Papua New Guinea previously impacted by Cyclone Ingrid
in March 2005.
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. Forming out of a monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
al trough
Trough (meteorology)
A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
on 22 February, Kate rapidly intensified throughout the day. By 23 February, the system attained its peak intensity with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 985 hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
(mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
). Shortly thereafter, increasing wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
caused the storm to quickly weaken. By 24 February, the system dissipated over open waters near Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Although Kate did not directly affect land, large swells
Swell (ocean)
A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series surface gravity waves that is not generated by the local wind. Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies with the size of the water body, e.g. rarely more than 150 m in the Mediterranean, and from event to event, with...
produced by the storm impaced beaches in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
and Queensland. The waves injured six people in Australia, although no property damage was reported.
Meteorological history
Cyclone Kate originated from an area of low pressureLow pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
that was first identified on 22 February 2006, within a monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
al trough
Trough (meteorology)
A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
. The system rapidly intensified
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
throughout the day, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology issuing their first advisory on the system that evening. Upon being classified, the system was immediately declared Tropical Cyclone Kate, skipping tropical low status. At the same time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
(JTWC) also began issuing advisories on the system, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 13P. The storm had developed well-defined, upper-level outflow
Outflow (meteorology)
Outflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a storm system. It is associated with ridging, or anticyclonic flow. In the low levels of the troposphere, outflow radiates from thunderstorms in the form of a wedge of rain-cooled air, which is visible as a thin rope-like cloud on weather...
enhanced by diffluence over the system.
The system remained nearly stationary over the northwestern Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. Early on 23 February, the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 95 km/h (60 mph 10-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 985 hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
(mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
). However, the JTWC assessed the system to have been slightly weaker, attaining peak winds of 85 km/h (50 mph 1-minute sustained). Further intensification was anticipated as Kate slowly tracked towards Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, Kate stalled shortly thereafter and began to weaken due to increasing wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. Rapid weakening took place throughout the day, and JTWC declared the system dissipated early on 24 February. The Bureau of Meteorology downgraded Kate to a tropical low around the same time, although they continued to monitor the storm for several more hours before reporting that it had dissipated over open waters.
Preparations and impact
Upon the cyclone's formation, the Bureau of Meteorology warned vessels to avoid the storm in anticipation of rough seas and winds gusting to 125 km/h (77.7 mph). Although the storm did not pose much of a threat to QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, officials urged residents to ensure their disaster kits were ready and that preparations for a moderate storm, such as storing lose outdoor objects and clearing gutters, had been completed.
While the storm had no direct impact on land, large swells
Swell (ocean)
A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series surface gravity waves that is not generated by the local wind. Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies with the size of the water body, e.g. rarely more than 150 m in the Mediterranean, and from event to event, with...
affected most of the Queensland coastline. In the Shire of Noosa, six surfers sustained serious injuries after wading into turbulent waters. Waves up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tossed the six surfers, leaving them with injuries ranging from broken noses and fractured ankles to head wounds from surfboards. The waves also caused additional beach erosion to parts of Papua New Guinea previously impacted by Cyclone Ingrid
Cyclone Ingrid
Cyclone Ingrid was a tropical cyclone which struck northern Australia during the 2004-05 Australian region cyclone season. Its minimum pressure was 924 mbar .-Meteorological history:Ingrid developed in the Coral Sea on 3 March 2005...
in March 2005.