KIRSTY
1984-85 season · AU198485_12U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirsty developed from a tropical low within the monsoon trough on 5 March 1985, forming approximately 560 kilometres north-northwest of the Cocos Islands in the South-East Indian Ocean. The system formed during the notably active 1984–85 Australian region cyclone season, occurring simultaneously with Severe Tropical Cyclone Lindsay, which struck near Broome around the same time.
Steered by a strong mid-tropospheric ridge to its south, Kirsty followed a consistent west-southwestward trajectory through remote open ocean. Over exceptionally warm waters, it underwent rapid intensification and peaked on 9 March 1985 as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h, gusts estimated near 290 km/h, and a minimum central pressure of 920 hPa — placing it among the most intense tropical cyclones ever recorded in the Australian region.
Kirsty crossed the 80°E meridian on 10 March 1985, passing out of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's area of responsibility and into the Southwest Indian Ocean, where it weakened over cooler waters and eventually dissipated. Throughout its entire lifecycle, the cyclone remained well away from the Australian coastline and any populated areas. No structural damage, coastal impacts, or casualties were recorded, though maritime advisories were issued for shipping lanes in the affected region.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (83 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-03-01 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 112.0 | 1006 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-01 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 110.3 | 1004 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-01 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 110.3 | 1004 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-01 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 109.6 | 1004 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 108.7 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 107.7 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 09:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 107.3 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 106.9 | 1004 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 16:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 106.3 | 1004 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 106.0 | 1004 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-02 21:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 105.6 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 105.2 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 03:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 104.8 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 104.4 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 09:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 104.0 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 103.6 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 16:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 103.0 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-03 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 102.7 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-04 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 101.9 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-04 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 101.3 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-04 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 100.7 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-04 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 100.1 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 99.5 | 1002 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 98.7 | 1001 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 09:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 98.3 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 97.9 | 999 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 16:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 97.3 | 998 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 97.0 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-05 21:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 96.5 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-06 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 95.9 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-06 03:00:00 | 1 | -10.7, 95.3 | 995 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-06 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.8, 94.7 | 993 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1985-03-06 12:00:00 | 1 | -11.0, 93.9 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1985-03-06 18:00:00 | 1 | -11.3, 93.0 | 988 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1985-03-07 00:00:00 | 1 | -11.7, 92.4 | 986 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1985-03-07 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.2, 91.7 | 982 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1985-03-07 12:00:00 | 1 | -12.8, 90.6 | 978 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1985-03-07 18:00:00 | 1 | -13.2, 89.3 | 975 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-08 00:00:00 | 1 | -13.5, 88.5 | 970 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-08 06:00:00 | 1 | -13.5, 87.7 | 966 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1985-03-08 12:00:00 | 1 | -13.6, 87.1 | 954 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1985-03-08 18:00:00 | 1 | -13.9, 86.4 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1985-03-09 00:00:00 | 1 | -14.2, 86.0 | 941 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1985-03-09 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.7, 85.4 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1985-03-09 12:00:00 | 1 | -15.3, 85.1 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1985-03-09 18:00:00 | 1 | -15.9, 84.8 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1985-03-10 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.5, 84.8 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1985-03-10 06:00:00 | 1 | -17.2, 84.8 | 923 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1985-03-10 12:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 84.9 | 941 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1985-03-10 18:00:00 | 1 | -18.6, 84.9 | 947 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1985-03-11 00:00:00 | 1 | -19.0, 85.0 | 954 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1985-03-11 06:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 85.0 | 963 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1985-03-11 12:00:00 | 1 | -19.5, 85.1 | 971 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1985-03-11 18:00:00 | 1 | -19.9, 85.2 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-12 00:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 85.3 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-12 06:00:00 | 1 | -20.7, 85.7 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-12 12:00:00 | 1 | -21.3, 85.9 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-12 18:00:00 | 1 | -22.0, 86.2 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-13 00:00:00 | 1 | -22.6, 86.6 | 976 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1985-03-13 06:00:00 | 1 | -23.3, 87.2 | 978 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1985-03-13 12:00:00 | 1 | -24.0, 87.9 | 982 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1985-03-13 18:00:00 | 1 | -24.5, 88.6 | 984 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1985-03-14 00:00:00 | 1 | -24.9, 89.6 | 986 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1985-03-14 06:00:00 | 1 | -25.3, 90.8 | 988 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1985-03-14 12:00:00 | 1 | -25.8, 92.0 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1985-03-14 18:00:00 | 1 | -26.3, 93.2 | 991 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1985-03-15 00:00:00 | 1 | -26.9, 94.4 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1985-03-15 06:00:00 | 1 | -27.4, 95.6 | 993 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1985-03-15 12:00:00 | 1 | -27.9, 96.6 | 994 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1985-03-15 18:00:00 | 1 | -28.4, 97.3 | 994 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1985-03-16 00:00:00 | 1 | -28.9, 98.1 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1985-03-16 06:00:00 | 1 | -29.5, 98.9 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-16 12:00:00 | 1 | -30.2, 99.5 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-16 18:00:00 | 1 | -31.0, 100.1 | 999 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1985-03-17 00:00:00 | 1 | -32.1, 100.8 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-17 06:00:00 | 1 | -33.3, 101.8 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1985-03-17 12:00:00 | 1 | -33.7, 103.6 | 1003 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-17 18:00:00 | 1 | -34.1, 105.5 | 1004 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1985-03-18 00:00:00 | 1 | -34.5, 107.5 | 1005 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-18 06:00:00 | 1 | -34.7, 109.7 | 1006 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-18 12:00:00 | 1 | -34.6, 111.4 | 1008 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-18 18:00:00 | 1 | -34.3, 112.4 | 1010 hPa | 8 km/h |
| 1985-03-19 00:00:00 | 1 | -33.6, 113.0 | 1012 hPa | 8 km/h |