GWENDA

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gwenda-Ezenina was an intense but entirely oceanic storm that was active between 6 and 13 February 1988, making it the most powerful system of the relatively quiet 1987–88 Australian region cyclone season. The storm originated from a weak tropical low embedded in the monsoon trough on 6 February, situated well northwest of the Australian continent. Moving west-southwestward across open water, it was classified as a tropical cyclone on 7 February, approximately 1,200 kilometres northwest of North West Cape.

Gwenda intensified markedly over unusually warm ocean waters, developing a visible eye by 10 February. It reached its peak on 12 February as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, with a minimum central pressure of 940–941 hPa, sustained 10-minute winds of 185 km/h, and gusts up to 235 km/h. Shortly after reaching peak intensity, the system crossed the 90°E meridian and passed from Australian Bureau of Meteorology responsibility into the Southwest Indian Ocean basin, where it was renamed Ezenina by the Mauritius Meteorological Service. The storm then encountered less favourable atmospheric conditions and cooler seas, weakening below cyclone intensity on 13 February and fully dissipating by 18 February south of Diego Garcia. The cyclone remained over remote ocean throughout its entire lifespan, resulting in no casualties, damage, or threat to any populated coastline.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia