CHLOE

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Chloe developed from a tropical low within a monsoon trough over the Timor Sea on 3 April 1995, and was named by the Bureau of Meteorology in Perth on 5 April. The compact system tracked slowly southwestward toward the northern Western Australian coast, undergoing rapid intensification as it approached land. It reached a peak intensity of Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of around 165 km/h and gusts exceeding 230 km/h, and a minimum central pressure of approximately 955 hPa. Wikipedia notes it briefly achieved Category 5 status before weakening slightly prior to landfall, though the manually provided source records a Category 4 peak.

Early on 8 April, Chloe crossed the coast along the remote east Kimberley coastline near the mouth of the Prince Regent River, south of Kuri Bay. Moving over rugged, elevated terrain, the system weakened rapidly and dissipated over the inland Kimberley desert by 9 April.

Because landfall occurred along an uninhabited stretch of coastline, no casualties or injuries were recorded. Pastoral stations in the region sustained wind damage to outbuildings, fencing, and infrastructure, while heavy rainfall caused flooding of local rivers and disrupted access to remote communities and stations. Offshore oil, gas, and pearl farming operations implemented emergency procedures ahead of the storm's arrival. Chloe was the third severe cyclone to affect Australia during the 1994–95 season, and its name was subsequently retired.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia