VERNON

History

Tropical Cyclone Vernon was a brief, small system that developed over the eastern Indian Ocean in late January 1986. Its precursor tropical low formed along an active monsoon trough near 13°S, 96°E — south-southeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands — on 21 January. Guided westward by a mid-level ridge lying to its south, the low tracked steadily over warm open water and slowly became better organised through 22 January.

By 23 January the system had consolidated enough to produce gale-force winds, and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth named it Vernon, classifying it as a Category 1 cyclone on the Australian scale. Peak intensity was reached that day over open ocean, with an estimated minimum central pressure of about 995 hPa and maximum ten-minute sustained winds of roughly 65–75 km/h, with gusts near 95 km/h, as the cyclone continued on a west-southwesterly heading.

Vernon's time at cyclone strength was short. Strong upper-level easterly to south-easterly shear separated the convective canopy from the low-level circulation, and the system fell below gale force on 24 January before its remnant circulation dissipated at sea.

Because Vernon remained far from the Australian mainland and the island territories, there were no casualties, injuries or structural damage; the only operational response was the temporary issuing of high-seas gale warnings for shipping crossing the eastern Indian Ocean.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia