LINDSAY

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Lindsay developed from a tropical low within an active monsoonal trough well north of the Australian mainland, organising into a tropical cyclone on 6 March 1985 during the busy 1984–85 Australian region cyclone season. Steered by regional atmospheric currents, the system tracked south-southeast toward the West Kimberley coast of Western Australia, intensifying as it approached land. At its peak, Lindsay reached Category 3 on the Australian scale, with a minimum central pressure of 950 hPa and maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 150 km/h.

The cyclone made landfall on the southern side of Roebuck Bay, just south of Broome, around midnight on 9 March 1985, before tracking inland and dissipating by 11 March. Because the most intense portion of the storm passed south of Broome's town centre, structural damage there was relatively minor, largely confined to roof damage and fallen power lines. However, the port experienced hazardous conditions, and a 20-metre commercial fishing vessel broke free from its moorings and sank beneath the Broome jetty. The area nearest the landfall point suffered severe environmental damage, with widespread defoliation and destruction of native vegetation and mangrove ecosystems along the southern shore of Roebuck Bay. Lindsay holds historical significance as the last cyclone to make a direct hit on Broome for more than 15 years, until Cyclone Rosita struck in 2000.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia