Severe Tropical Cyclone Carlos was a strong

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

that made landfall in Australia and resulted in $12.3 million

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in damages. Carlos was first spotted on 14 February near Batchelor and intensified to a Category 3 cyclone on 22 February. The storm affected Australia for most of its life.

Meteorological history

On 14 February, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in Darwin reported that a tropical low formed near latitude 13.2S, longitude 130.7E, about west southwest of Batchelor. A severe weather warning was issued for northwest Darwin- Daly District and the

Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island, Bathurst I ...

. Heavy rain pounded the area on 15 February with reports of

Marrara Marrara is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is on the traditional Country and waterways of the Larrakia people. History Shown on Goyder's original surveys of Darwin in 1869 was the swamp between the s ...

recording and

Darwin International Airport Darwin International Airport is a domestic and international airport serving Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the eleventh busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements, with almost 2 million passengers travelli ...

of rain. This was later followed by of rain in just 24 hours, which is the highest 24-hour rainfall for the city on record. On 16 February, the slow moving system strengthened into After looping around the Darwin area overnight and back over land the system weakened on 17 February and BOM downgraded it to a Tropical low. A record three-day total of rain was recorded at Darwin International Airport due to the lingering of the system. The system moved slowly southwest on 18 February moving towards the Northern Territory/Western Australian border with a possibility of restrengthening. The community of Daly River received of rainfall. On 19 February the system passed into the Northern

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

region. Rainfall totals were not as large as in previous days.

Wyndham Wyndham may refer to: *Wyndham (name), a surname and given name Places Australia *City of Wyndham, an LGA (local government area) in Victoria * Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, a LGA in Western Australia * Wyndham Important Bird Area, Western Aust ...

recorded while Kalumburu recorded of rainfall. In the early hours of 21 February the system returned to the open waters of the

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, causing it to redevelop back into a cyclone. The system was located northwest of Broome. The cyclone continued to track southwest at a relatively fast pace and produced a

squall line A squall line, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS), is a line of thunderstorms, often forming along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front (which often are accompanied by abrupt a ...

that generated four tornadoes in the mining town of Karratha. It also strengthened steadily to become a category 2 cyclone. On 22 February the system moved parallel to 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 ...

coast. Varanus Island recorded of rainfall and the highest wind gust recorded in the area was at Bedout Island. The system became more organised and on 23 February the record rainfall amount of was recorded at Barrow Island. The strongest gusts of recorded at Varanus Island. The cyclone crossed the

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and lashed Onslow and

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with high winds up to and rain. As Carlos moved away from the western coast of Australia on 24 February it strengthened into a Severe Tropical Cyclone. Carlos also caused a mini tornado to hit Ellenbrook,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia on 28 February. The system dissipated on February 27.

Impact

Tropical Cyclone Carlos caused localized flooding and damage to homes, with fallen trees, resulting in schools in Darwin being closed, along with Darwin International Airport and East Arm Wharf. The tornadoes the system produced damaged 38 homes as well as numerous cars, buildings and a school. Overall, the system caused about $16 million AUS$ ($12.3

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlos Tropical cyclones in 2011 2010–11 Australian region cyclone season February 2011 in Australia Tropical cyclones in Western Australia Category 3 Australian region cyclones Tropical cyclones in the Northern Territory 2000s in Western Australia 2000s in the Northern Territory Retired Australian region cyclones