KERRY

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Kerry developed off the northwest coast of Western Australia on 19 January 1973, organising into a tropical cyclone before rapidly intensifying to a Category 4 system on the Australian scale. It reached peak intensity on 21 January with a central pressure of 960 hPa and maximum sustained winds of approximately 165 km/h.

Kerry made landfall late on 21 January, crossing the coast well east of Dampier and tracking directly over Wickham and near Cape Lambert. After moving inland across the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions, it gradually weakened to a tropical low before dissipating on 24 January. It was the only cyclone during the 1972–73 Australian season to cross the northwestern coast and penetrate deep inland.

The town of Wickham bore the brunt of the impact, with more than 30 houses partly unroofed and several sustaining major structural damage. Dampier, Roebourne, and Karratha experienced no significant building damage as the cyclone crossed the coast to their east. Cape Lambert recorded a peak wind gust of 140 km/h. Kerry passed close to several offshore oil-drilling rigs, causing structural damage and lost production time valued at over one million dollars. Heavy rainfall produced severe flooding across major river systems between the De Grey and Fortescue rivers, cutting land transport routes. Estimated structural damage totalled around two million dollars, with broader economic losses exceeding five million dollars.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia