PHOEBE
2004-05 season · AU200405_01U
History
Tropical Cyclone Phoebe was a short-lived and remote system that developed over the eastern Indian Ocean in late August 2004, well before the conventional start of the Australian cyclone season. Its origins lay in an area of low pressure that appeared on 30 August close to the boundary of Météo-France's zone of responsibility, embedded within a monsoonal band that was unusually active for the time of year and reinforced by a favourable phase of the Madden–Julian Oscillation.
From the outset the low struggled against strong deep-layer wind shear, which repeatedly stripped thunderstorm activity away from the centre of circulation as the system drifted towards the southeast. By 31 August, however, convection had consolidated on the western and south-western flanks of the low, and it was classified as Tropical Depression 01. At that stage the depression was assessed with ten-minute sustained winds near 55 km/h and a central pressure of about 999 hPa.
Continuing on its south-easterly course, the system crossed into the area monitored by the Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on 1 September. Conditions improved sufficiently for it to be upgraded to Tropical Cyclone Phoebe early on 2 September, at which point it lay roughly 800 kilometres west-north-west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Intensification was rapid but brief: Phoebe attained its peak strength later the same day with maximum winds of approximately 85 km/h, equivalent to a Category 1 system on the Australian scale.
Still tracking south-east, the cyclone soon moved over progressively cooler sea surface temperatures, which undercut its convection and brought steady weakening. Phoebe lost tropical cyclone status and dissipated at a distance of around 550 kilometres from the Cocos Islands.
Because it remained over open ocean throughout its life, Phoebe never threatened any inhabited land, and no damage, casualties, evacuations or warnings for populated areas resulted from it. It was the earliest of the systems recorded during a 2004–05 Australian region season that finished slightly below average in overall activity.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (26 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-08-30 06:00:00 | 1 | -2.8, 87.7 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 2004-08-30 12:00:00 | 1 | -3.1, 87.8 | 1004 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2004-08-30 18:00:00 | 1 | -3.4, 87.8 | 1002 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2004-08-31 00:00:00 | 1 | -3.7, 87.9 | 1002 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2004-08-31 06:00:00 | 1 | -4.0, 88.0 | 1000 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-08-31 12:00:00 | 1 | -4.5, 88.7 | 1000 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-08-31 18:00:00 | 1 | -5.0, 89.4 | 1000 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-01 00:00:00 | 1 | -5.3, 90.0 | 1000 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-01 06:00:00 | 1 | -5.5, 90.4 | 998 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-01 12:00:00 | 1 | -6.2, 90.5 | 998 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-01 18:00:00 | 1 | -7.1, 90.8 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-02 00:00:00 | 1 | -8.0, 91.2 | 992 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-02 06:00:00 | 1 | -8.3, 91.7 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2004-09-02 12:00:00 | 1 | -8.9, 91.8 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2004-09-02 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.0, 92.3 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2004-09-03 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.1, 92.8 | 990 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 2004-09-03 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 92.9 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2004-09-03 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.5, 93.0 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2004-09-03 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.5, 93.1 | 992 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 2004-09-04 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.6, 93.2 | 992 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-04 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.8, 92.9 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 2004-09-04 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.7, 92.7 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2004-09-04 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.6, 92.6 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2004-09-05 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.5, 92.5 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 2004-09-05 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.7, 92.3 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 2004-09-05 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 91.7 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |