Severe Tropical Cyclone Elaine was a

severe tropical cyclone Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few classifications are used officially by the meteorologica ...

which formed in the

1998–99 Australian region cyclone season The 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season was an above average tropical cyclone season that featured Gwenda, the most intense tropical cyclone in the Australian Region (later tied with Inigo in 2003) . It began on 1 November 1998 and ended ...

. Elaine, along with

Cyclone Vance Severe Tropical Cyclone Vance was a tropical cyclone that struck Western Australia during the active 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season, and was also one of six tropical cyclones to form off the coast of Australia during that season. Whe ...

, both made landfall and caused destruction in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Elaine had made landfall on 20 March, while Vance made landfall on 23 March. Elaine formed after a

monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...

, which spawned an area of low-pressure on 12 March. The low moved west into a favourable environment and intensified into Tropical Cyclone Elaine on 15 March. 24 hours later, on 16 March, Elaine attained severe tropical cyclone status. Two days later, Elaine reached its peak of . Thereafter, the storm entered a period of weakening. On 20 March, Elaine was downgraded to a tropical cyclone. Elaine made landfall over

with winds. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the areas of impact. Elaine degenerated into a

remnant low Remnant or remnants may refer to: Religion * Remnant (Bible), a recurring theme in the Bible * Remnant (Seventh-day Adventist belief), the remnant theme in the Seventh-day Adventist Church * ''The Remnant'' (newspaper), a traditional Catholic n ...

, a few hours after impact.

Meteorological history

had formed from a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

on 11 March 1999. While the trough moved westward, it spawned a

low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

on 12 March. The low was in a region of low shear and favorable upper outflow. As the low headed westward, it entered a favorable environment and underwent intensification. On 15 March, the storm attained wind speeds more than and was designated as Tropical Cyclone 28S. On 16 March, at 3:00 PM, the storm had intensified into a tropical cyclone and was designate as Tropical Cyclone ''Elaine''. Elaine changed course and headed southward, towards Western Australia at . Elaine's winds reached 60 mph, attaining Category 1 status. The system underwent

explosive intensification Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...

and reached severe tropical storm status on 17 March. An

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

was evident which was associated with the rapid intensification. Cyclone Elaine reached its peak the same day at 10:00 UTC. Thereafter the storm declined as it headed south towards westerly wind shear. Elaine continued west on 18 March, and made landfall at 10:00 UTC. Elaine then dropped to tropical storm status, with deep convection being stripped away from the system. Elaine declined over Western Australia as a

. The low continued to impact Western Australia until Elaine dissipated on 20 March, around 12:00 UTC.

Preparations

Nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from Moora after Elaine hit.

Impact

As a tropical depression/low, Elaine affected mainly

. Moora reported severe flooding and much precipitation. Tropical Low Elaine crossed between Kalbarri and

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

around 01:00 UTC. Many emergency operations were in hand, but no fatalities from the storm were reported. The Moora River experienced flooding after an increase in water capacity. The Moora overflowed to the point where it burst its banks. The downpour of rain was one of the heaviest that Moora had ever seen.

Retirement

Due to the damage and flooding of Moora and the Moore River, the name ''Elaine'' was retired and replaced with Emma in 2006, which would affect the same area and do more than $700,000 (2006

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elaine 1998–99 Australian region cyclone season Retired Australian region cyclones

Meteorological history

Preparations

Impact

Retirement

See also

References