March 9 in weather history

Cyclone Nathan

March 9, 2015

Cyclone Nathan was a powerful tropical cyclone that had an erratic track across Australia. The cyclone formed from a tropical low near the Queensland coast that itself formed as a result of Cyclone Pam's outer rainbands. Later that day, the BoM designated the system as 17U and intensified into Tropical Cyclone Nathan…

The record

Date
March 9, 2015
Ended
March 25, 2015
Kind
Tropical cyclone

What happened

Cyclone Nathan was a powerful tropical cyclone that had an erratic track across Australia. The cyclone formed from a tropical low near the Queensland coast that itself formed as a result of Cyclone Pam's outer rainbands. Later that day, the BoM designated the system as 17U and intensified into Tropical Cyclone Nathan several hours later. It slowly executed a cyclonic loop over the next few days, moving across Arnhem Land.

After intensifying to an initial peak intensity of 165 km/h (105 mph), Nathan weakened while crossing the Cape York Peninsula and reintensified over the Gulf of Carpentaria. It impacted Arnhem Land as an equivalent of a Category 1 cyclone, before hitting Darwin, Northern Territory, Northern Territory the same day. It dissipated afterwards. The remnants of Nathan brought 106 mm (4.2 in) of rainfall to Onslow, Western Australia on 30 March. Cyclone Nathan hit the Arnhem Land one month after Cyclone Lam.

Cyclone Nathan caused heavy flooding in Queensland and in the Northern Territory, though no deaths were reported. The cyclone's erratic path was a shock to many local residents. Total damage in northern Queensland were about A$74.8 million (US$57 million).

From Wikipedia, “Cyclone Nathan (2015)”, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

Wikidata Q120176579 (CC0); text from Wikipedia, “Cyclone Nathan (2015)”, CC BY-SA 4.0.