Severe Tropical Cyclone Damien was the strongest cyclone to make landfall in the Western Australian coast since

Cyclone Christine Severe Tropical Cyclone Christine was the third tropical cyclone and the second severe tropical cyclone of the 2013–14 Australian region cyclone season. It made landfall on Western Australia's Pilbara coast nearly halfway between the major ...

in 2013. It was also the strongest Cyclone in the

2019–20 Australian region cyclone season The 2019–20 Australian region cyclone season was a below average tropical cyclone season for the waters surrounding Australia between longitudes 90°E and 160°E. The season officially began on 1 November 2019 and ended on 30 April 2020; howev ...

. The fifth tropical low, and the third named storm of the

, Damien originated from a monsoon trough over Kimberley. As a monsoon trough began developing over parts of the Kimberley on 2 February 2020, the BOM noted that an inland tropical disturbance formed over the Northern Territory, within the monsoon trough. On 4 February, it exited land and emerged over the eastern Indian Ocean, and the JTWC named the disturbance as Invest 92S. A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued early the following day by the JTWC as convection began to steadily develop near the center.https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh9220web.txt The next day, the JTWC issued its first advisory on the system as a tropical storm. Many hours later, the BOM followed suit, upgrading the tropical storm to a Category 1 cyclone and giving it the name Damien. In preparation for Damien, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued a red alert from Whim Creek to Mardie going all the way south to Millstream Chichester National Park and a yellow alert from

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

to Whim Creek stretching southwards to Wittenoom. Evacuation centers were set up in Karratha, and South Hedland. A search and rescue team was also stationed in

. Damien brought gale-force winds, heavy-extreme/torrential

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...

, and extreme

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

when it made

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

close to Karratha at February 8, 2020. Wind gusts exceeding 125 mph (205 km/h) were recorded close to the landfall point. Over 230 mm (9.1 in) of rain fell in Karratha and Roebourne from 8–9 February 2020. Around 9,500 people in

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a gl ...

lost power. Besides downed power lines, strong winds also uprooted many trees and caused many buildings to lose their roofs. Karratha Airport was forced to close on the morning of 10 February 2020 after the terminal sustained damage and lost power.

Meteorological history

As a monsoon trough began to develop over parts of the Kimberley on 2 February 2020, the BOM noted that an inland tropical disturbance formed over the Northern Territory, within the monsoon trough. On 4 February, it exited land and emerged over the eastern Indian Ocean, and the JTWC named the disturbance as Invest 92S. A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued early the following day by the JTWC as convection began to steadily develop near the center. The next day, the JTWC issued its first advisory on the system as a tropical storm. Many hours later, the BOM followed suit, upgrading the tropical storm to a Category 1 cyclone and giving it the name Damien. Damien began tracking south, later intensifying to a powerful category 2 cyclone, later Damien tracks a little to the west, with it quickly changing its track a little to the east while going south, soon it made landfall in the

region of

, with winds peak winds of 100 mph, Damien kept tracking west before again moving a little west and quickly dissipating.

Preparations

In preparation for Damien, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued a red alert from Whim Creek to Mardie going all the way south to Millstream Chichester National Park, and a yellow alert from

to Whim Creek stretching southwards to Wittenoom. Evacuation centers were set up in Karratha, and South Hedland. A search and rescue team was also stationed in

. Ports of Port Hedland, Dampier, and Ashburton were closed on Friday. Alongside 20 schools, high schools and learning centers in the region Residents in Pilbara rushed to get their hands on supplies after cities and towns were placed on blue alert, leaving supermarkets shelves empty of freshwater and food.

Impacts

Damien brought gale-force winds, heavy-extreme/torrential

, and extreme

s to

when it made

lost power. Besides downed power lines, strong winds also uprooted many trees and caused many buildings to lose their roofs. The local airport's roof was damaged by uprooted trees, resulting in water leakage into the building, the police station was also damaged by flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology's Dampier radar sustained significant damage due to Damien. Extensive vegetation damage was reported and there was some damage to property. Damages in Karratha exceeded $6 million.

Cleanup

After Cyclone Damien, Karratha coordinated cleanup and relief efforts across cities and towns affected by the cyclone.

Retirement

Later in 2020, the Bureau of Meteorology retired the name ''Damien'' due to the damage caused by the storm in Western Australia. It will be replaced by ''Declan'' in future seasons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damien (2020) 2019–20 Australian region cyclone season Tropical cyclones in 2020 Category 3 Australian region cyclones 2020s in Western Australia 2020 in Australia