| Overall effects | |
|---|---|
| Fatalities | >28 |
| Damage | A$150,000 |
| Areas affected | Northern Territory |
The 1897 cyclone was a tropical cyclone that destroyed the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is considered the worst cyclone to strike the Northern Territory of Australia prior to Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Prior to contemporary naming conventions,the storm became known as the "Great Hurricane". [1]
The cyclone hit Darwin in the evening of the 6 January 1897,peaking between 3.30am and 4.30am on 7 January. It dumped 292 mm (11.5 in) of rain on Darwin,then known as Palmerston. [2] It uplifted roofs,uprooted trees and telegraph poles destroying almost all of the buildings. [3] The only remaining structures include the historic Victoria Hotel,doctors residence,BAT House,the Commercial and E. S. &A. Banks and the Court House. These remaining structures housed scores of homeless residents after the cyclone. [4]
There were 28 fatalities,mostly Chinese and Aboriginal people. [5] [6] One family was reported to have run from three different houses as they were destroyed around them,surviving without injury. Illness spread throughout the predominantly homeless population after the cyclone. [4] While little is known about the Aboriginal loss of life,the deaths of a couple of women who sought refuge in the Roman Catholic Church before its collapse were documented. [7]
The other major loss of life occurred on Darwin Harbour,with the deaths of many "coloured persons" working in the pearling industry. Of 29 vessels in the harbour at the time,18 were wrecked,mostly pearling luggers such as the Flowerdale,Maggie,Roebuck,Cleopatra,Olive,Florence,Revenge,Jack,Black Jack,Brisbane and Galatea. The government steam launch and three sampans were also damaged. Many crews donated to the rebuilding efforts. The pearling fleet was quickly restored and expanded and by 1898,55 vessels were operational. [7]
The damage is estimated to have cost over £150,000 in 1897 values. [2]
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory,Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population,with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest,wettest,and most northerly of the Australian capital cities and serves as the Top End's regional centre.
The Northern Territory is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Australia to the west,South Australia to the south,and Queensland to the east. To the north,the territory looks out to the Timor Sea,the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria,including Western New Guinea and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin,in the Northern Territory of Australia,in December 1974. The small,developing,easterly storm was originally expected to pass clear of the city,but it would turn towards it early on 24 December. After 10:00 p.m. ACST,damage became severe,with wind gusts reaching 217 km/h before instruments failed. The anemometer in Darwin Airport control tower had its needle bent in half by the strength of the gusts.
Cyclone Mahina was the deadliest cyclone in recorded Australian history,and also potentially the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Mahina struck Bathurst Bay,Cape York Peninsula,Queensland,on 4 March 1899,and its winds and enormous storm surge combined to kill more than 300 people.
The history of Darwin details the city's growth from a fledgling settlement into a thriving colonial capital and finally a modern city.
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 Country. The waters of Torres Strait include the only international border in the area contiguous with the Australian mainland,between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory covers Australia's Northern Territory and is part of the Province of Queensland in the Anglican Church of Australia.
Severe Tropical Cyclone George was one of the most powerful Australian tropical cyclones on record,attaining a minimum barometric pressure of 902 mbar. It was also the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2007 and the last Australian region tropical cyclone to achieve this record to date. The cyclone formed on 26 February 2007 in the Northern Territory's Top End,and intensified when it entered the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf,before crossing the northern coast of the Kimberley. It moved over the Indian Ocean,intensifying to a Category 4 cyclone,and eventually crossed the Pilbara coast just east of Port Hedland at peak intensity. After further analysis from the Bureau of Meteorology,George was reclassified to Category 5. The cyclone caused significant damage to the town of Port Hedland and numerous isolated mining camps around the town. Losses in Northern Territory amounted to at least A$12 million. Two people died and more than a dozen others were infected in a melioidosis outbreak following the Northern Territory floods. Insured damage in Western Australia amounted to $8 million,and there were three fatalities.
The Victoria Hotel,or The Vic as it is commonly known,is a heritage listed pub located in Darwin,Northern Territory,Australia. Built in 1890,it is an important historical building but is currently closed.
The 1974–75 Australian region cyclone season was an above average tropical cyclone season.
Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) following the destruction of Darwin,Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24–25 December 1974. 13 ships,11 aircraft,and 3,000 personnel were sent to Darwin in the largest disaster relief operation undertaken by the RAN in its history. The RAN task force was present from 31 December 1974 to 31 January 1975.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Rewa affected six countries and caused 22 deaths on its 28-day journey across the South Pacific Ocean in December 1993 and January 1994. Cyclone Rewa developed from a tropical disturbance on 28 December south of Nauru. After forming,Rewa moved southwest through the Solomon Islands,crossing the 160th meridian east from the South Pacific basin into the Australian region. The cyclone began to strengthen steadily and turned southward,paralleling the eastern Australian coast through 31 December. Rewa reached its initial peak intensity as a Category 4 tropical cyclone on 2 January. It maintained this intensity for about 12 hours before an increase in wind shear induced its weakening by 3 January. The cyclone turned southeastward and moved back into the South Pacific basin on 4 January,before it passed over New Caledonia between 5–6 January. After affecting New Caledonia,Rewa weakened to a tropical depression and turned northwestward before re-entering the Australian basin on 10 January.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Nina was a significant tropical cyclone which impacted six island nations from December 1992 to January 1993. The system was first noted as a tropical low over the Cape York Peninsula on 21 December. Over the next few days the system moved south-westwards and moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria where it was named Nina,after it had developed into a tropical cyclone during 23 December. The system was subsequently steered south-eastwards by an upper level trough of low pressure,before it made landfall as a Category 2 tropical cyclone on the Cape York Peninsula near Cape Keerweer on 25 December. Over land the system weakened into a tropical low before it regenerated into a tropical cyclone over the Coral Sea on 28 December. The system subsequently moved north-eastwards,under the influence of Severe Tropical Cyclone Kina and an upper level ridge of high pressure. During 1 January 1993,Nina peaked with sustained wind speeds of 140 km/h (85 mph),as it affected Rennell,Bellona and Temotu provinces in the Solomon Islands. The system subsequently gradually weakened as it accelerated eastwards and affected Rotuma,Wallis and Futuna,Tonga and Niue. Nina was subsequently absorbed by Kina,while both systems were located near the Southern Cook Islands during 5 January.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Namu was considered to be one of the worst tropical cyclones to impact the Solomon Islands on record,after it caused over 100 deaths within the island nations. It was first noted as a weak tropical depression to the north of the Solomon Islands during May 15,1986. Over the next couple of days,the storm steadily intensified while meandering. After briefly moving west,the storm attained Category 2 intensity on the Australian intensity scale on May 18,as it moved through the island chain on the next day. Cyclone Namu attained peak intensity of 150 km/h (90 mph). After retaining its peak intensity for a day,Namu turned south and weakened steadily. By May 21,the winds of Cyclone Namu had been reduced to only 80 km/h (50 mph). Continuing to weaken,Namu turned east and dissipated on May 22,away from the island chain.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Anne was one of the most intense tropical cyclones within the South Pacific basin during the 1980s. The cyclone was first noted on January 5,1988 as a weak tropical depression to the northeast of Tuvalu,in conjunction with the future Typhoon Roy in the Northern Hemisphere. Over the next few days,the system gradually developed while moving southwestward. Once it became a tropical cyclone,it was named Anne on January 8. The next day,Anne rapidly intensified,becoming the fourth major tropical cyclone to affect Vanuatu within four years. On January 11,Anne peaked in intensity while it was equivalent to a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale,and a Category 4 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. After turning southward on January 12,Anne struck New Caledonia,becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to affect the French Overseas Territory. The system subsequently weakened as it started to interact with Tropical Cyclone Agi. Anne weakened into a depression and was last noted on January 14 to the south-east of New Caledonia.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam was the strongest storm to strike Australia's Northern Territory since Cyclone Monica in 2006. It formed from the monsoon trough on February 12 in the Coral Sea. For much of its duration,the system moved westward due to a ridge to the south. The system crossed over the Cape York Peninsula and moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria,whereupon it gradually organized due to warm waters and favorable outflow. On February 16,the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) classified it as a Category 1 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale and gave it the name Lam. The storm intensified further while drifting toward the Wessel Islands,developing an eye and strengthening to the equivalence of a minimal hurricane on February 18. It strengthened to reach maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) early on February 19 before turning to the southwest,making it a Category 4 cyclone. That day,it made landfall on Northern Territory between Milingimbi and Elcho Island at peak intensity,and it rapidly weakened over land. About six hours after Lam moved ashore,Cyclone Marcia struck Queensland as a Category 5 cyclone,marking the first time on record that two storms of Category 4 intensity struck Australia on the same day.
Lameroo Beach is a small beach located off the esplanade in central Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was the location of the town's historic baths between 1922 and 1974. The name for Lameroo Beach comes from a corrupted interpretation of the nearby Aboriginal site Damoe-Ra,which means "eye" or "spring" in Larrakia.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcus was a very powerful tropical cyclone that struck Australia's Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia in March 2018. It was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2017–18 Australian region cyclone season,the strongest tropical cyclone in the Australian region basin since George in 2007 and is tied with Cyclone Monica as the strongest cyclone in the Australian Region in terms of 10-minute maximum sustained winds. It was also considered the worst cyclone to hit Darwin since Tracy in 1974. It was also the strongest tropical cyclone since Tracy to hit Darwin,making landfall there as a Category 2 tropical cyclone. Marcus formed on March 14 from a tropical low situated over the northeast Timor Sea,which quickly moved southeast and strengthened into a tropical cyclone the next day.
Tropical cyclones regularly affect the coastlines of most of Earth's major bodies of water along the Atlantic,Pacific,and Indian oceans. Also known as hurricanes,typhoons,or other names,tropical cyclones have caused significant destruction and loss of human life,resulting in about 2 million deaths since the 19th century. Powerful cyclones that make landfall –moving from the ocean to over land –are some of the most impactful,although that is not always the case. An average of 86 tropical cyclones of tropical storm intensity form annually worldwide,with 47 reaching hurricane/typhoon strength,and 20 becoming intense tropical cyclones,super typhoons,or major hurricanes.