ERICA
2002-03 season · AU200203_05U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Erica had an unusually long and convoluted origin. Its precursor low formed in a monsoon trough north of the Tiwi Islands on 13 February 2003, drifted through the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and crossed onto the mainland near the Western Australia–Northern Territory border on 15 February. The low then tracked slowly across the continent through late February, passing south of Alice Springs before turning east and emerging into the Coral Sea near the Whitsunday Islands on 3 March. With wind shear easing, convection consolidated around the circulation, and the Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre named the system Erica at 0600 UTC on 4 March, about 790 km east-southeast of Townsville.
Erica initially drifted east, then curved north as a ridge built to its south and west. Renewed shear stripped the system, and by 7 March it had weakened below gale force to a tropical depression. Strengthening monsoonal flow pushed the remnants eastward past the southern Solomon Islands, and on 10 March, in a low-shear environment aided by a favourable Madden–Julian oscillation phase, Erica was reclassified as a tropical cyclone roughly 370 km south-southwest of Honiara. An upper trough then accelerated it southeast. A ragged eye appeared, tightened and became symmetrical as the cyclone deepened rapidly, reaching peak intensity at 0600 UTC on 13 March some 500 km west-northwest of Nouméa — Australian Category 5, with ten-minute winds of 215 km/h and a minimum central pressure estimated by Nadi at 915 hPa. The JTWC assessed one-minute winds near 240 km/h.
Erica paralleled New Caledonia's southwest coast during 13 March before crossing the island's southern end and the Isle of Pines shortly after 1800 UTC, weakening as shear increased. Extratropical transition was complete by 1500 UTC on 15 March, with the remnants passing east of New Zealand on 16–17 March.
New Caledonia suffered its worst cyclone since Beti. Gusts reached a record 202 km/h at Nouméa; two people died, 80 were injured and about 1,000 were left homeless, with widespread power failures, crop losses and school damage totalling at least US$15 million. The name Erica was subsequently retired.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (44 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-03-01 12:00:00 | 2 | -21.0, 147.5 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-01 18:00:00 | 4 | -20.5, 149.0 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-02 00:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 149.4 | 1001 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-02 06:00:00 | 1 | -20.0, 149.8 | 1000 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-02 12:00:00 | 1 | -20.0, 150.0 | 1002 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-02 18:00:00 | 1 | -19.7, 149.7 | 1001 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-03 00:00:00 | 1 | -19.5, 149.5 | 1003 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-03 06:00:00 | 1 | -19.7, 151.0 | 1001 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2003-03-03 12:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 151.5 | 1000 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-03 18:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 152.2 | 998 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2003-03-04 00:00:00 | 1 | -20.5, 153.0 | 997 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2003-03-04 06:00:00 | 1 | -20.5, 154.0 | 995 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2003-03-04 12:00:00 | 1 | -20.6, 154.4 | 990 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 2003-03-04 18:00:00 | 1 | -20.5, 154.6 | 985 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 2003-03-05 00:00:00 | 1 | -20.1, 154.9 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 2003-03-05 06:00:00 | 1 | -19.4, 155.1 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 2003-03-05 12:00:00 | 1 | -18.7, 155.1 | 988 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2003-03-05 18:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 155.1 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-06 00:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 154.5 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-06 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.8, 154.0 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-06 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.0, 154.0 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-06 18:00:00 | 1 | -15.5, 153.9 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2003-03-07 00:00:00 | 1 | -15.1, 153.9 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-07 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.5, 153.7 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-07 12:00:00 | 1 | -13.8, 153.5 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-07 18:00:00 | 1 | -12.8, 154.2 | 997 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-08 00:00:00 | 1 | -12.7, 154.0 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-08 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.5, 154.4 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-08 12:00:00 | 1 | -12.5, 154.6 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-08 18:00:00 | 1 | -12.2, 154.8 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-09 00:00:00 | 1 | -12.2, 154.9 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-09 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.4, 155.3 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-09 12:00:00 | 1 | -12.3, 155.9 | 1000 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2003-03-09 18:00:00 | 1 | -12.2, 156.8 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2003-03-10 00:00:00 | 1 | -12.0, 157.5 | 1000 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2003-03-10 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.1, 157.9 | 995 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2003-03-10 12:00:00 | 1 | -12.3, 158.2 | 993 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2003-03-10 18:00:00 | 1 | -12.7, 158.3 | 990 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 2003-03-11 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.1, 158.4 | 985 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 2003-03-11 06:00:00 | 1 | -13.6, 158.8 | 980 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 2003-03-11 12:00:00 | 1 | -14.4, 159.4 | 975 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 2003-03-11 18:00:00 | 1 | -15.2, 159.8 | 970 hPa | 33 km/h |
| 2003-03-12 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 159.7 | 965 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 2003-03-12 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 160.0 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |