TERRI

History

Tropical Cyclone Terri developed on 27 January 2001 near the northern Kimberley coast of Western Australia, in the closing days of January. From its formation point in the waters off the far north of the state, the system took a track that kept it close to and roughly parallel with the Western Australian coastline, moving generally southwestward down the Kimberley and towards the Pilbara rather than heading out into the open Indian Ocean.

As it tracked along the coast, Terri strengthened steadily, eventually reaching Category 2 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale — its peak strength — shortly before it turned in towards land. The cyclone crossed the coast near Pardoo, on the Pilbara coast east of Port Hedland, in the early hours of 31 January while still at Category 2 intensity. Once over land, the system lost its energy source rapidly and weakened quickly, with Terri dissipating late on the same day it made landfall, giving the cyclone a total lifespan of only about four to five days.

Terri came ashore in a sparsely settled stretch of the north-west Australian coast, an area characterised by pastoral stations and mining infrastructure rather than large population centres, and no deaths or significant damage totals were recorded in connection with the storm. Its name was assigned by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth, which was responsible for monitoring the system throughout its life.

Terri was one of several tropical cyclones to affect Western Australia during the below-average 2000–01 Australian region season, which also produced the far more destructive Severe Tropical Cyclone Sam two months earlier.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia