Niran

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Niran developed from a tropical low in the Coral Sea on 27 February 2021, when the Bureau of Meteorology began monitoring the system off the coast of northern Queensland. It was formally named on 1 March and spent several days drifting slowly while remaining disorganised near the Queensland coast. As it pulled away from Australia on 3 March, the system underwent rapid intensification, reaching Category 3 status that same day and Category 4 the following day. By 5 March, Niran had intensified into a Category 5 cyclone on both the Australian scale and the Saffir–Simpson scale, achieving peak 10-minute sustained winds of 205 km/h and a central pressure of 931 hPa while well offshore. The system then crossed into the Fiji Meteorological Service's area of responsibility and passed just south of New Caledonia's main island of Grande Terre on 6 March before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone that same day and being absorbed into a larger extratropical system on 8 March.

Although Niran never made landfall, its impacts were significant. In far-north Queensland, approximately 42,000 people lost power and banana crops suffered extensive damage, with around one-third of Australia's banana production affected and losses estimated at A$200 million. In New Caledonia, roughly 69,000 customers lost power, roads became impassable, ships were grounded at Nouméa, and two people sustained injuries. Total economic losses were estimated at US$250 million.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia