PEARL
1993-94 season · AU199394_04U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pearl developed from a tropical low in the monsoon trough northwest of Broome, Western Australia, on 11 January 1994. Organised by the Bureau of Meteorology's TCWC Perth, it intensified rapidly over the Timor Sea as it tracked westward, reaching a peak of Category 4 with maximum sustained 10-minute winds of around 175 km/h and gusts exceeding 240 km/h, along with a minimum central pressure of approximately 935 hPa. A small but intense system, Pearl developed a well-defined eye and remained well offshore throughout its life, tracking west-southwestward parallel to the Pilbara coast guided by a ridge to its south.
By 18 January, as Pearl crossed 90°E into the South Indian Ocean, responsibility for warnings transferred to Météo-France La Réunion, which renamed the system Farah and estimated winds of around 120 km/h at that point. Increasing wind shear and cooler waters caused progressive weakening, and the system lost tropical cyclone intensity on 21 January before eventually dissipating over the open Indian Ocean.
Pearl made no landfall and caused no structural damage or casualties on the Australian mainland. Offshore oil and gas operations on the North West Shelf undertook precautionary measures, and shipping was diverted, but there were no reported direct impacts to coastal communities.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (39 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-01-11 00:00:00 | 1 | -15.4, 121.4 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-01-11 06:00:00 | 1 | -15.8, 120.7 | 1000 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1994-01-11 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.2, 120.0 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-01-11 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.6, 119.3 | 985 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1994-01-12 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 118.6 | 975 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1994-01-12 06:00:00 | 1 | -17.1, 117.8 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-12 12:00:00 | 1 | -17.2, 116.5 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-12 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 115.2 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-13 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.5, 114.2 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-13 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.8, 113.1 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-13 12:00:00 | 1 | -17.0, 111.8 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-13 18:00:00 | 1 | -17.3, 110.6 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-14 00:00:00 | 1 | -17.1, 109.4 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-14 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 108.1 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-14 12:00:00 | 1 | -17.0, 106.8 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-14 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.8, 105.8 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-15 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 104.8 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-15 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.3, 103.6 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-15 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.3, 102.4 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-15 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.2, 101.3 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-16 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.0, 100.2 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-16 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.0, 98.7 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-16 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.0, 97.5 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-16 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.2, 96.2 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-17 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.2, 95.0 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-17 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 94.0 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1994-01-17 12:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 93.0 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1994-01-17 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.6, 92.2 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1994-01-18 00:00:00 | 1 | -16.7, 91.4 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-01-18 06:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 90.6 | 960 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1994-01-18 12:00:00 | 1 | -17.1, 89.9 | 965 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1994-01-18 18:00:00 | 1 | -17.4, 89.2 | 975 hPa | 33 km/h |
| 1994-01-19 00:00:00 | 1 | -17.9, 88.7 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-01-19 06:00:00 | 1 | -18.6, 88.0 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-01-19 12:00:00 | 1 | -19.8, 87.6 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-01-19 18:00:00 | 1 | -20.9, 87.5 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-01-20 00:00:00 | 1 | -22.0, 87.5 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-01-20 12:00:00 | 1 | -23.2, 87.8 | 1005 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-01-21 00:00:00 | 1 | -24.1, 88.8 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |