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Season's end for northern Australia cyclone season

The 2013-2014 Australian cyclone season and the northern Australian wet season are now officially over. However, we have seen cyclones in May in the past so we are not to fall complacent, at least not just yet.

From Alessia to Jack, The 2013-2014 Tropical cyclone season brought a total of 11 named tropical cyclones to the Australian region and a further 13 tropical lows which did not reach cyclone intensity.

From all tropical cyclones, five made landfall across continental Australia:

In WA, Christine made landfall as residents in Port Hedland were getting ready for the New Years celebrations.

In the NT Alessia hugged the Kimberley coast as it tracked east making landfall over the western Top End on the 24th of November. Alessia was stubborn and regain cyclone intensity as it moved over the Gulf of Carpentaria on the 27th before decaying thereafter. Similarly, Fletcher became a short lived tropical cyclone on the 2nd of February over the southern Gulf of Carpentaria before losing intensity and tracking further south into central NT.

In QLD, Dylan became the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in the eastern coast of the Sunshine State since Yasi, on the 31st of January. Despite making landfall on a heavily populated area damage was minimal and restricted to flooding associated with king tides and riverine flooding.

In April, Severe Tropical Cyclone Ita became the strongest cyclone to impact QLD since Yasi reaching category 5 in the Australian scale but weakened to a category 4 hours prior to landfall. The system brought intensive damage to QLD as it maintained gale force winds as it track parallel to the Herbert, Lower Burdeking and Central coasts. It eventually moved offshore on the 13th of April north of Mackay.

Ita not only brought extensive damage in QLD, but managed to wreak havoc in the Solomon Islands, southern parts of PNG and New Zealand producing winds reaching 130km/h in Westport.

A special mention goes to Gillian which in early March became the strongest cyclone in the basin in four years and the second strongest of the season (after Ita). The system lingered in the Gulf of Carpentaria before tracking west along the Arafura and Timor seas and only becoming a tropical cyclone as it moved away from Indonesia.

With April long gone, winter (in the south) and the dry season (in the north) are now just around the corner.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2014

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