DAMIEN

History

Tropical Cyclone Damien was a modest, wholly offshore system that developed off the north-west Australian coast in early 1987. Its origins lay in a monsoonal low that organised north of Cape Leveque, off the Kimberley coast, on 30–31 January. Steered by an upper-level high-pressure system sitting over central Australia, the low drifted generally south-westward across warm tropical waters and strengthened steadily, reaching Category 1 intensity late on 1 February near 15.5°S, 123.3°E with a central pressure of 988 hPa. The Bureau of Meteorology's Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre assigned the name Damien that day.

Over the following 48 hours the cyclone continued on its south-westward course, running roughly parallel to the West Kimberley and Pilbara coastlines but remaining well out to sea. It intensified modestly to reach peak strength on 3 February near 16.7°S, 121.5°E, with a minimum central pressure of about 980 hPa and maximum ten-minute sustained winds of roughly 95 km/h (50 knots), with gusts estimated near 130 km/h. This Category 2 peak was maintained for only about 12 hours.

Decay followed quickly. A series of cold fronts moving across the Southern Ocean south of the continent drew cold, stable air into Damien's circulation, and the system fell below gale strength by 5 February. The residual low-level circulation then wandered erratically westward over open ocean before dissipating entirely on 9 February, well north-west of North West Cape near 20.0°S, 111.0°E.

Because Damien never approached the coast, there was no wind damage, flooding, injury or loss of life on the mainland. Its effects were confined to shipping: high-seas gale warnings were maintained for lanes off north-western Australia, and a vessel about 150 km north of the centre reported sustained winds of 83 km/h (45 knots) on 3 February.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia