Kelvin

History

Tropical Cyclone Kelvin originated as a weak tropical low near the Tiwi Islands off the Northern Territory coast on 11 February 2018. The system tracked southwest overland before emerging over the Indian Ocean near Broome on 16 February. It was named Kelvin after being upgraded to a Category 1 cyclone by the Bureau of Meteorology on 17 February, becoming the sixth named storm of the 2017–18 Australian region season. The system then turned eastward and underwent rapid intensification ahead of landfall, making landfall near Anna Plains Station along Eighty Mile Beach at around 8:00 am AWST on 18 February as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained winds of 150 km/h and a central pressure of 955 hPa.

Despite moving inland over flat terrain, Kelvin weakened slowly and was downgraded to a tropical low on 19 February, with its remnant last tracked on 21 February over the Outback. The cyclone struck a region already saturated by earlier storms, producing severe flooding across the Kimberley. Broome recorded a record annual rainfall total of over 1,500 mm within two months of the year. Infrastructure damage along the Great Northern Highway exceeded AUD $16 million, disrupting supply chains to regional communities. Pastoral properties including Anna Plains and Mandora stations sustained significant damage. Total losses were estimated at approximately AUD $25 million.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia