Guba

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Guba was an unusual and deadly system that developed in the Papua New Guinean warning zone in November 2007, becoming the first storm named by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Port Moresby since Epi in 2003. Its origins lay in a weak tropical low that appeared in the Solomon Sea near New Britain on 12 November. The low tracked south-west across or close to the south-eastern tip of New Guinea before emerging into the north-western Coral Sea, where a south-easterly wind surge, weak vertical shear and healthy outflow allowed rapid organisation.

TCWC Brisbane began issuing advices on 14 November and upgraded the system to cyclone strength that day, adopting the Port Moresby-assigned name Guba — a masculine Papua New Guinean name referring to a squall of rain at sea. The compact but potent cyclone wandered erratically off the Queensland coast, then turned south and deepened on 16 November, peaking as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone with a clearly defined eye. Weakening set in the following day, and although Guba briefly accelerated westward towards Queensland, prompting renewed watches and warnings on 19 November, it swung back to the north and north-east without reaching the Australian mainland. The final advisory was issued early on 20 November. Guba was the first cyclone to affect the Queensland region during November since 1977, and the name was subsequently retired.

The heaviest consequences fell on south-eastern Papua New Guinea, where the developing low unleashed six days of torrential rain that triggered extensive flooding and landslides. Oro Province bore the brunt, with 149 confirmed deaths, around 145,000 people affected and roughly 2,000 evacuated. Roads, bridges and dozens of homes were destroyed, Popondetta lost water and power services, and flights were suspended. Milne Bay Province also flooded. Damage estimates ran into hundreds of millions of kina, and a state of emergency was declared, with Australian defence and aid assistance deployed.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia