Severe Tropical Cyclone Monty was a powerful category 4 tropical cyclone that formed during late February 2004. Monty was the 6th tropical cyclone and the 3rd Severe tropical cyclone of the 2003-04 Australian region cyclone season. Monty made landfall in a large, sparsely populated region of the

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 ...

, Western Australia. Due to the low population, damages inland were not high, although there was major flooding and many roads were impassable because they were flooded or washed away by water. Monty set record high amounts of flooding in some parts of Western Australia.

Meteorological history

A low pressure area tracked westwards over Pilbara. The low moved off of the Kimberley Coast on February 26. Over the warm ocean waters, the low rapidly developed within 24 hours to a tropical cyclone. Monty paralleled the Pilbara coast and intensified to Category 4. On the 28th, a ragged eye became evident on a visible satellite image. On February 29, a buoy 10 nautical miles away from the center of Monty reported mean winds of 92 mph (80 knots, 148 kmh). That day, a well developed eye became visible on IR satellite imagery. Monty's peak intensity was estimated to be around 0900 UTC, as a category 4 storm, on February 29. Low wind shear of less than 10 knots allowed for development until Monty made landfall as a category 3 storm. Monty began to slowly weaken as it approached the coast of Pilbara. As Monty moved forwards inland, it began to rapidly weaken and speed up but still caused major flooding in Pilbara. As Monty continued inland, it weakened to a category 2 storm on March 2. On March 3, 2004, Monty had degenerated into a remnant low over central Western Australia.

Impact

While over the water, Monty caused significant disruption to oil and gas facilities off the

coast. Minor property damage occurred over land, although two vessels broke their mornings, ran aground and caused considerable damage. Monty caused major flooding and washed away a few roads in Pilbara. Due to the flooding, 2 people had to be rescued off of the roof of a home in

Yarraloola Yarraloola or Yarraloola Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station but is currently operating as a cattle station in Western Australia. It is located west of Pannawonica and east of Onslow along the Robe River in ...

on the Robe River. The town of Pannawonica was cut off by flood waters,

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

's bridge was washed away at 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 and ...

. The flooding on the Maitland, Robe and Fortescue Rivers was said to be the highest on record.

Rain Observations

*393 mm (15.5 in) at Mardie (Gauge overflowed, this is an underestimate) *382 mm (15 in) at Yalleen *323 mm (12.7 in) at Roebourne (Highest two-day since 1945)

Wind Gust Observations

*209 km/h (129 mph) at North Rankin Platform (Feb 29) *169 km/h (105 mph) at Barrow Island (Mar 1) *154 km/h (95 mph) at Mardie Station (Mar 1)

Retirement

As a result of its damage, the name ''Monty'' was

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

and will not be used for another tropical cyclone in the region. Its name was replaced with ''Mitchell'', which was first used in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monty 2003–04 Australian region cyclone season Category 4 Australian region cyclones

Monty Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery, Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname. Notable people with the name or nickname include: First name Nickname *Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), British Second ...