CLARA
1974-75 season · AU197475_16U
History
Tropical Cyclone Clara was a late-season system that developed in the eastern Indian Ocean during the closing weeks of the 1974–75 Australian region cyclone year. It began as a monsoonal low over the Timor Sea, north of the Kimberley coast, on 20 April 1975. Tracking west-southwestward over warm waters, the low consolidated quickly and was upgraded to tropical cyclone status on 21 April, when it lay roughly 350 kilometres north-northwest of Broome. The Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth assigned the name Clara at that time.
A strong subtropical ridge over the Australian continent steered Clara on a steady west-southwestward course that kept it parallel to, but well clear of, the Pilbara coastline. The system intensified through 22 April, reaching Category 3 severe tropical cyclone strength on the Australian scale. Peak intensity was attained while Clara was positioned well offshore from North West Cape, with a minimum central pressure of approximately 960 hPa. Maximum ten-minute sustained winds are estimated at around 130–140 km/h, with gusts over open water exceeding 185 km/h.
Clara continued moving away from the Australian mainland into the central Indian Ocean. By late April the system had moved over cooler sea surface temperatures typical of the southern autumn and encountered increasing vertical wind shear, which eroded the core. Clara fell below tropical cyclone intensity on 25 April and dissipated over open ocean on 26 April.
The cyclone never made landfall and its destructive core remained well away from coastal communities in Western Australia. No casualties, injuries or structural damage on land were attributed to the system. Marine storm warnings were issued for shipping in the North West Shelf corridors, with commercial vessels rerouting and offshore energy facilities enacting heavy weather procedures; no infrastructure damage resulted. Clara was one of the final systems of an above-average season that had earlier produced the catastrophic Cyclone Tracy at Darwin.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (49 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-04-20 01:00:00 | 1 | -9.0, 100.6 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 04:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 100.6 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 07:00:00 | 1 | -9.7, 100.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 10:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 100.7 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 13:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 100.8 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 16:00:00 | 1 | -11.0, 101.0 | 996 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 19:00:00 | 1 | -11.3, 101.2 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1975-04-20 22:00:00 | 1 | -11.7, 101.4 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 01:00:00 | 1 | -12.1, 101.5 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 04:00:00 | 1 | -12.5, 101.7 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 07:00:00 | 1 | -12.7, 102.2 | 993 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 10:00:00 | 1 | -13.2, 102.5 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 13:00:00 | 1 | -13.6, 102.9 | 991 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 16:00:00 | 1 | -14.0, 103.3 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 19:00:00 | 1 | -14.4, 103.6 | 989 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-21 22:00:00 | 1 | -14.8, 103.8 | 989 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 01:00:00 | 1 | -15.2, 104.6 | 988 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 04:00:00 | 1 | -15.6, 104.8 | 987 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 07:00:00 | 1 | -16.0, 105.0 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 10:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 105.1 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 13:00:00 | 1 | -16.8, 105.2 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 16:00:00 | 1 | -17.1, 105.3 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 19:00:00 | 1 | -17.3, 105.4 | 987 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-22 22:00:00 | 1 | -17.6, 105.3 | 988 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 01:00:00 | 1 | -18.1, 105.5 | 988 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 04:00:00 | 1 | -18.6, 105.7 | 989 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 07:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 105.9 | 989 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 10:00:00 | 1 | -19.8, 106.0 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 13:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 106.3 | 991 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 16:00:00 | 1 | -20.7, 106.6 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 19:00:00 | 1 | -21.3, 106.7 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-23 22:00:00 | 1 | -21.8, 106.8 | 993 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 01:00:00 | 1 | -21.7, 106.9 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 04:00:00 | 1 | -22.2, 107.1 | 995 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 07:00:00 | 1 | -22.6, 107.3 | 996 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 10:00:00 | 1 | -23.0, 107.4 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 13:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 107.5 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 16:00:00 | 1 | -23.9, 107.7 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 19:00:00 | 1 | -24.3, 107.6 | 1001 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-24 22:00:00 | 1 | -24.6, 108.1 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 01:00:00 | 1 | -25.0, 108.3 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 04:00:00 | 1 | -25.4, 108.6 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 07:00:00 | 1 | -25.9, 109.0 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 10:00:00 | 1 | -26.2, 109.4 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 13:00:00 | 1 | -26.4, 109.8 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 16:00:00 | 1 | -26.7, 110.3 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 19:00:00 | 1 | -27.0, 110.7 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-25 22:00:00 | 1 | -27.3, 111.1 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1975-04-26 01:00:00 | 1 | -27.5, 111.5 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |