OLINDA

History

Tropical Cyclone Olinda formed in the central Coral Sea on 20 January 1999, developing from a low embedded within the monsoon trough over warm tropical waters well offshore from Queensland. The Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre named the system Olinda on 20 January, by which time it had organised sufficiently to be classified as a Category 1 tropical cyclone.

Drifting east-southeast, Olinda continued to consolidate and reached Category 2 intensity on the Australian scale on 21 January. At its strongest the cyclone had an estimated minimum central pressure of around 980 hPa, with maximum ten-minute mean winds near 100 km/h and gusts to approximately 140 km/h.

The cyclone then followed a broad southeastward path, remaining well clear of the east Queensland coast and passing several hundred kilometres to the east of Willis Island and the Whitsunday region while holding Category 2 strength. Continuing southeast, Olinda crossed the 160°E meridian on 25 January, moving out of the Australian region and into the Fiji warning area. Over the open South Pacific it met strengthening upper-level westerly wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures, causing the structure to break down quickly; the system weakened below tropical cyclone intensity by 26 January.

Olinda never made landfall and caused no damage, injuries or deaths. Its effects were confined largely to the marine environment, with Willis Island experiencing squally winds and heavy swell as the cyclone passed by, and high-seas warnings issued for Coral Sea shipping. It was one of numerous systems in an active 1998–99 Australian season.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia