Severe Tropical Cyclone Clare was a moderately strong cyclone that struck Western Australia in January 2006. The storm formed as an area of

low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...

in 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 ...

, and moved westward. After receiving the name Clare on 7 January, the system ultimately peaked at Category 3 intensity on the Australian tropical cyclone scale. It moved ashore on the coast of the

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 ...

and proceeded inland, dissipating on 10 January. Clare produced winds of at Karratha and triggered widespread torrential rainfall that led to flooding. Following its usage, the name ''Clare'' was retired by 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 ...

, and will never be used again for a tropical cyclone in the area.

Meteorological history

On 4 January 2006, a weak

area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...

was situated in the

. It moved westward, and by 6 January, it was located in 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 ...

. That same day, both 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) and the Australian

(BoM) identified the system as a tropical disturbance. On 7 January, the low began to show signs of strengthening. Continuing to organise, the BoM designated it as Tropical Cyclone Clare shortly thereafter. At the time, it was centred approximately to the north of Broome and moving west-southwestward. The JTWC classified the cyclone, locally designated 05S, as a tropical storm at 1800 UTC. By early on 8 January, the storm had begun to steadily gain power. Later that day, Clare achieved severe tropical cyclone status while located around north of

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 ...

. Tracking southwestward, the storm continued to mature. On 9 January, the JTWC estimated the storm to have peaked in intensity with maximum sustained 1-minute winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 980 millibars. However, the BoM reported the storm to have been somewhat more intense, with sustained 10-minute winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and a barometric pressure of 964 millibars. This made Clare a Category 3 on the Australian tropical cyclone scale. Clare maintained roughly the same intensity as its track became more southerly. At 1600 UTC on 9 January the storm made landfall at the

to the west of Dampier. Heading ashore, the storm began to quickly deteriorate, and both the JTWC and the BoM declared it dissipated on 10 January as it continued southward. Throughout the storm's course, the JTWC's intensity estimates were below that of the BoM. Also, it is reported that the cyclone's presentation on satellite was not representative of its actual intensity.

Preparations and impact

In advance of the storm's landfall, officials issued a "red alert" for several locations. Offshore, oil rigs were shut down and ports were closed. At least 2,000 residents were evacuated from their homes in potentially susceptible areas of the Karratha region. In areas between Broome and Port Hedland, people were urged to tidy debris and organise disaster supplies to prepare for the storm. Upon moving ashore, the storm produced winds of at Legendre Island and a gust of at Karratha. Heavy precipitation—often exceeding —was recorded along the central Pilbara coast. Rainfall at Wickham totalled , with at Karratha and more moderate amounts elsewhere. Since

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 ...

from the cyclone peaked during low tide, it was not severe and caused no known damage. Clare produced extensive flooding that forced the closure of numerous roads, including part of the

North West Coastal Highway North West Coastal Highway is a generally north–south Western Australian highway which links the coastal city of Geraldton with the town of Port Hedland. The road, constructed as a sealed two-lane single carriageway, travels through remote a ...

. It also triggered torrential rains and flooding in southern areas of the country, including

Gascoyne The Gascoyne region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Gascoyne has about of ...

and the South-West Land Division. There, of rain fell in 24 hours. Additionally, the Greenough River surpassed its banks; a sandbagging effort prevented the resultant floods from inundating the town of Walkaway. The storm cut off power and left tens of thousands of residents without telephone service. Property damage was generally minor, and no casualties or significant injuries from the storm were reported. The name ''Clare'' was retired following its usage in 2006. On 13 January 2006, the town of Lake Grace in the south of the state was flooded by Cyclone Clare, receiving 230 mm of rainfall. It was declared a disaster zone by the State Government.

References

External links

Australian Bureau of Meteorology (TCWC's Perth, Darwin & Brisbane)
.
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clare (2006) Emma Category 3 Australian region cyclones 2006 in Australia Tropical cyclones in Western Australia Clare 2000s in Western Australia

Meteorological history

Preparations and impact

See also

References

External links