ERICA
1973-74 season · AU197374_08U
History
Tropical Cyclone Erica was a long-lived system that spent almost its entire life over open water off northern Western Australia during the final days of 1973 and the first days of 1974.
Erica originated from an active monsoon low over the Timor Sea, north of the Kimberley, on 29 December 1973. Drifting west-southwestward over very warm waters, the low organised quickly and was classified as a tropical cyclone on 30 December, at which point it lay roughly 350 kilometres north-northwest of Broome. It was given the name Erica by the Bureau of Meteorology's tropical cyclone warning centre in Perth that same day.
A strong and persistent subtropical ridge across central Australia steered the system on a steady west-southwest course, running broadly parallel to the Kimberley and Pilbara coastlines but remaining well offshore. Erica deepened into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on 1 January 1974 and reached its peak while situated off North West Cape, with an estimated minimum central pressure near 960 hPa. Maximum 10-minute sustained winds at peak were around 130–140 km/h, with gusts over open water estimated to have exceeded 185 km/h.
After passing the North West Cape region, Erica continued west-southwestward into the central Indian Ocean, where cooler sea surface temperatures and strengthening vertical wind shear eroded the system. It fell below tropical cyclone intensity late on 4 January and dissipated over open ocean on 5 January without ever crossing the coast.
Because Erica stayed at a safe distance offshore, its destructive core winds never reached coastal communities, and no casualties, injuries or structural damage were reported on the mainland. Its principal effects were maritime: marine storm warnings were maintained for North West Shelf shipping lanes, commercial vessels diverted around the system, and offshore oil exploration platforms activated heavy-weather procedures, though none reported damage. Erica did bring heavy rainfall to parts of Western Australia. It was one of many systems in the exceptionally active 1973–74 Australian region season.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (57 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-12-29 01:00:00 | 1 | -17.9, 118.7 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 04:00:00 | 1 | -17.7, 118.3 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 07:00:00 | 1 | -17.6, 118.3 | 997 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 10:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 118.6 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 13:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 118.7 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 16:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 118.8 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1973-12-29 22:00:00 | 1 | -17.6, 118.9 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 01:00:00 | 1 | -17.4, 119.2 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 04:00:00 | 1 | -17.3, 119.0 | 995 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 07:00:00 | 1 | -17.7, 119.0 | 991 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 10:00:00 | 1 | -17.9, 118.9 | 989 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 13:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 118.9 | 987 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 16:00:00 | 1 | -18.2, 118.7 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 19:00:00 | 1 | -18.3, 118.6 | 982 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-30 22:00:00 | 1 | -18.5, 118.3 | 980 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 01:00:00 | 1 | -18.8, 118.0 | 980 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 04:00:00 | 1 | -19.0, 118.0 | 979 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 07:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 118.0 | 977 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 10:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 117.8 | 977 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 13:00:00 | 1 | -20.0, 117.1 | 982 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 16:00:00 | 1 | -20.5, 116.3 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 19:00:00 | 1 | -21.3, 115.4 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 20:00:00 | 3 | -21.6, 115.2 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1973-12-31 22:00:00 | 2 | -22.2, 114.7 | 987 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 01:00:00 | 2 | -22.8, 114.0 | 988 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 04:00:00 | 4 | -23.0, 113.7 | 988 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 07:00:00 | 1 | -23.1, 113.4 | 987 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 10:00:00 | 1 | -23.2, 113.1 | 988 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 13:00:00 | 1 | -23.3, 112.8 | 991 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 16:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 112.3 | 993 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 19:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 111.8 | 993 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1974-01-01 22:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 111.2 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 01:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 110.6 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 04:00:00 | 1 | -23.2, 110.0 | 994 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 07:00:00 | 1 | -23.0, 109.4 | 994 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 10:00:00 | 1 | -22.7, 108.8 | 996 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 13:00:00 | 1 | -22.4, 108.2 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 16:00:00 | 1 | -22.2, 107.6 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 19:00:00 | 1 | -22.0, 106.9 | 1001 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-02 22:00:00 | 1 | -21.8, 106.2 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 01:00:00 | 1 | -21.4, 105.6 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 04:00:00 | 1 | -21.4, 105.6 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 07:00:00 | 1 | -21.0, 104.5 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 10:00:00 | 1 | -20.8, 104.0 | 1003 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 13:00:00 | 1 | -20.5, 103.4 | 1006 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 16:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 102.9 | 1008 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 19:00:00 | 1 | -20.0, 102.3 | 1007 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-03 22:00:00 | 1 | -19.7, 101.8 | 1007 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 01:00:00 | 1 | -19.5, 101.3 | 1008 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 04:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 100.7 | 1008 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 07:00:00 | 1 | -19.0, 100.0 | 1006 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 10:00:00 | 1 | -18.8, 99.3 | 1006 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 13:00:00 | 1 | -18.6, 98.7 | 1007 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 16:00:00 | 1 | -18.4, 98.0 | 1007 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 19:00:00 | 1 | -18.2, 97.4 | 1007 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-04 22:00:00 | 1 | -18.1, 96.7 | 1009 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1974-01-05 01:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 96.0 | 1011 hPa | 10 km/h |