KEN
1992-93 season · AU199293_01U
History
Tropical Cyclone Ken was an early-season system that formed and spent its entire life over the open waters of the eastern Indian Ocean in December 1992, never threatening land.
The system began as a tropical low embedded in an active monsoon trough on 18 December, developing roughly 700 kilometres east-southeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Warm sea surface temperatures and a favourable environment allowed the low to organise slowly as it drifted south-southeastward over the following days. By 21 December it had consolidated sufficiently to be classified as a Category 1 tropical cyclone and was named Ken by the Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth.
Steered south-southeastward around a mid-level ridge lying to its east, Ken continued to strengthen and reached Category 2 intensity late on 21 December. Peak intensity was attained the following day, 22 December, while the cyclone was situated over open ocean approximately 800 kilometres west-northwest of the Pilbara coast. At its strongest, Ken had an estimated minimum central pressure near 980 hPa, with maximum 10-minute mean winds of about 100 km/h and gusts reaching approximately 140 km/h.
The cyclone's decline was abrupt. On 23 December an approaching mid-latitude trough brought strong upper-level westerly wind shear across the system, tearing the deep convection away from the low-level circulation centre. Ken weakened below tropical cyclone intensity late that day, and the exposed remnant low dissipated over open water on 24 December. (Some records list the system's lifespan as 17–23 December.)
There were no impacts on the Western Australian mainland or on Australia's island territories, with Ken tracking more than 700 kilometres offshore and well clear of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. High-seas gale warnings were issued for shipping using the eastern Indian Ocean corridors, but North West Shelf oil and gas facilities were unaffected. No deaths, injuries or structural damage were attributed to the cyclone.
Ken was the first named system of a below-average 1992–93 Australian region season.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (24 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-12-18 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.7, 99.7 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-18 06:00:00 | 1 | -11.3, 99.5 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-18 12:00:00 | 1 | -11.7, 98.9 | 1000 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1992-12-18 18:00:00 | 1 | -12.0, 98.2 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 00:00:00 | 1 | -12.3, 97.5 | 995 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 03:00:00 | 1 | -12.5, 97.2 | 995 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.7, 96.9 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 09:00:00 | 1 | -12.9, 96.6 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 12:00:00 | 1 | -13.2, 96.2 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1992-12-19 18:00:00 | 1 | -13.5, 95.6 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-20 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.9, 94.9 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-20 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.4, 94.2 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-20 12:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 93.4 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-20 18:00:00 | 1 | -15.5, 92.5 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-21 00:00:00 | 1 | -15.8, 91.5 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-21 06:00:00 | 1 | -15.8, 90.6 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-21 12:00:00 | 1 | -15.7, 90.0 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-21 18:00:00 | 1 | -15.6, 89.3 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-22 00:00:00 | 1 | -15.3, 88.6 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1992-12-22 06:00:00 | 1 | -15.1, 87.7 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-22 12:00:00 | 1 | -14.6, 86.7 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-22 18:00:00 | 1 | -14.2, 85.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-23 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.7, 84.5 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1992-12-24 00:00:00 | 1 | -11.6, 81.0 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |