TANYA

History

Tropical Cyclone Tanya began as a tropical low within the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Coral Sea, first monitored by the Bureau of Meteorology on 27 March 1985 when it lay roughly 700 km southeast of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The low drifted steadily westwards over the following days while slowly organising, and on 29 March the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began issuing advisories, classifying it as Tropical Cyclone 32P. The Bureau upgraded the system to cyclone strength the same day and assigned the name Tanya as it continued its westward course towards the Cape York Peninsula.

Tanya reached its greatest strength on 30 March, when the Bureau assessed 10-minute sustained winds of 100 km/h and a central pressure of 982 hPa — equivalent to a category 2 system on the Australian scale. The JTWC's estimate was slightly stronger, with 1-minute sustained winds of 110 km/h and a pressure of 979 hPa. This peak was held for approximately 24 hours before weakening set in as the cyclone neared the Queensland coast on 31 March.

Landfall occurred close to Coen on the Cape York Peninsula at about 2:00 pm AEST on 1 April, after which Tanya decayed rapidly below cyclone intensity. The Bureau last tracked the remnant low later that day as it pushed inland across the peninsula, though the JTWC followed the remains across the Gulf of Carpentaria until they dissipated over Arnhem Land on 4 April.

Damage was confined to minor effects on vegetation, with no structural losses or fatalities reported.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia