Cyclone Ilsa

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa was a powerful tropical cyclone that struck Western Australia in April 2023. The sixth named storm, and the fifth severe tropical cyclone of the 2022–23 Australian region cyclone season, Ilsa formed from a tropical low off the coast of Indonesia on 6 April. It fluctuated in intensity and became a Category 1 tropical cyclone on 11 April, after deep convection became symmetric around the low-level circulation center. Ilsa then rapidly intensified the following day and reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Ten-minute sustained winds were estimated as 230 km/h (145 mph), with a central barometric pressure of 915 hPa (27.02 inHg). One-minute sustained winds reached 260 km/h (160 mph) at this time, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Additionally, record-breaking ten-minute sustained wind speed of 219 km/h (136 mph) were measured at Bedout Island, beating the previous record of Cyclone George in 2007. Ilsa made landfall roughly 120 km (75 mi) northeast of Port Hedland, Western Australia.