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1968–69 Australian region cyclone season

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1968–69 Australian region cyclone season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed22 November 1968
Last system dissipated30 April 1969
Strongest storm
NameAudrey-Bonnie
 • Lowest pressure975 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Tropical lows15
Tropical cyclones13
Severe tropical cyclones1
Total fatalitiesUnknown
Total damageUnknown
Related articles
Australian region tropical cyclone seasons
1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71

The 1968–69 Australian region cyclone season was an above-average tropical cyclone season, featuring 15 tropical lows, of which 12 of them are named. Amber was the only hurricane-strength tropical cyclone of the season, however, it did not affect any landmasses. It ran from 1 November 1968 to 30 April 1969, with the regional tropical cyclone operational plan defining a "tropical cyclone year" separately from a "tropical cyclone season", with the "tropical cyclone year" for this season lasting from 1 July 1968 to 30 June 1969.

Season summary

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Tropical cyclone scales#Comparisons across basins

Systems

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Tropical Cyclone Adele

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationNovember 22 – November 29
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min);
998 hPa (mbar)

On November 22, a tropical depression formed near Papua New Guinea and moved to the southwest. It failed to strengthen until the 27th of November when it briefly reached tropical storm status and was named Adele. The storm then weakened and dissipated the next day.

Tropical Cyclone Amber

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Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 16 – December 22
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
977 hPa (mbar)

On December 19, a tropical low developed to the southwest of Jakarta. It further strengthened to a tropical cyclone, earning the name Amber. It briefly reached Category 1-equivalent hurricane before weakening. It was last noted on December 22.

Tropical Cyclone Beatie

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Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 19 – December 24
Peak intensity45 km/h (30 mph) (1-min);
1001 hPa (mbar)

Beati was a weak tropical cyclone that originated to the south of Java. It moved westward, passing to the south of Christmas Island. It remained weak until it dissipated on December 24.

Tropical Cyclone Bettina-Berthe

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 26 – December 27 (Exited basin)
Peak intensity85 km/h (50 mph) (1-min);

A tropical low to the west of Cocos Islands strengthened to Tropical Cyclone Bettina. However, it exited the basin towards the South-West Indian Ocean basin, early the next day.

Tropical Cyclone Cheri

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 27 – December 30
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

Cheri was first noted on December 27 forming to the west of Christmas Island. It briefly strengthened to a Category 1 tropical cyclone before it was last noted dissipating on December 30.

Tropical Cyclone Bridget

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Tropical depression (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 24 – January 26
Peak intensity45 km/h (30 mph) (1-min);
1002 hPa (mbar)

Another weak cyclone, Bridget was seen developing to the south of Papua New Guinea. It moved to the south before it was last noted to the north of Townsville.[1]

Tropical Cyclone Colleen

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 27 – February 5 (Exited basin)
(Out of basin on 28 January–4 February)
Peak intensity100 km/h (65 mph) (1-min);
984 hPa (mbar)

A tropical low was noted forming near the Solomon Islands on January 27. It failed to develop and moved into the South Pacific basin, where it was named Colleen before striking New Caledonia.[2] It entered the basin again on February 4; however, it wasn't renamed. It reexited the region, the next day, shortly before transitioning to an extratropical cyclone.

Tropical Cyclone Gladys

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationFebruary 15 – February 20
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
987 hPa (mbar)

Gladys formed over Western Australia, to the south-southwest of Derby. It moved offshore on the same day and moved to the west before it was last noted dissipating to the north-northwest of Exmouth.

Tropical Cyclone Irene

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationFebruary 21 (Entered basin) – February 24
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
990 hPa (mbar)

The weakening Irene from the South Pacific basin entered the region on February 21. The storm weakened as it executed a loop before it was last noted on February 24 to the east of Cairns.[3]

Tropical Cyclone Audrey-Bonnie

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationMarch 1 – March 9
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (1-min);
975 hPa (mbar)

A tropical low developed to become Tropical Cyclone Audrey on March 1. However, it made landfall near Maningrida on March 3. It weakened inland as it moved southwestward; however, it regenerated to a tropical cyclone to the northwest of Broome, with the BoM renaming the system Bonnie. It weakened again as it moved further inland, and it was last noted on March 9.[4]

Tropical Cyclone Leonie

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationApril 5 – April 6
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

Leonie developed to the north of Cocos Islands. Moving southward, the cyclone slowly weakened and transitioned to an extratropical storm before it was last noted inland, to the south of Jingalup.

Tropical Cyclone Esther

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationApril 25 – April 30 (Exited basin)
Peak intensity85 km/h (50 mph) (1-min);
992 hPa (mbar)

The last named tropical cyclone of the season, Esther formed to the east of Port Moresby on April 25. The system then performed a loop before exiting the basin on April 30. Formed east of Papua New Guinea, executed a loop, and moved eastward into the South Pacific basin.

Other systems

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A tropical depression formed on December 16 and later moved into the neighboring South-West Indian Ocean, becoming Cyclone Amber.

Tropical Cyclone Enid formed on the extreme western portion of the basin on an unknown date; it later moved on the South-West Indian Ocean basin and was renamed Fanny.

There were two storms in April that exited off the northeast coast of Australia. The first one developed on April 8 to the southwest of Honiara, Solomon Islands. It moved to the northwest, then turned to the southwest, before it was last noted on April 15, midway between Queensland and New Caledonia. The second one formed on April 11 near the island nation and was last seen to the south-southwest of Brisbane on April 16.

Season effects

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1968–69 Australian region cyclone season
Name Dates Peak intensity Areas affected Damage
(US$)
Deaths
Category Wind speed
(km/h (mph))
Pressure
(hPa)
Adele 22–29 Nov Category 1 tropical cyclone 65 (40) 998 None None 0
Amber 16–22 Dec Category 3 severe tropical cyclone 130 (80) 977 None None 0
Beatie 19–24 Dec Category 1 tropical cyclone 65 (40) 1001 Christmas Island None 0
Bettina 26–27 Dec Category 1 tropical cyclone 75 (45) Not specified None None 0
Cheri 27–30 Dec Category 1 tropical cyclone 85 (50) 995 None None 0
Bridget 24–26 Jan Category 1 tropical cyclone 65 (40) 1002 Queensland None 0
Colleen 27 Jan – 5 Feb Category 2 tropical cyclone 100 (65) 984 Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand Unknown Unknown
Enid 5–6 Feb Category 1 tropical cyclone 65 (40) 984 None None 0
Gladys 15–20 Feb Category 2 tropical cyclone 95 (60) 987 Western Australia Unknown Unknown
Irene 21–24 Feb Category 1 tropical cyclone 75 (45) 990 None None 0
Audrey-Bonnie 1–9 Mar Category 2 tropical cyclone 110 (70) 975 Western Australia, Northern Territory Unknown Unknown
Leonie 5–6 Apr Category 1 tropical cyclone 75 (45) 995 Western Australia Unknown Unknown
Unspecified 8–15 Apr Tropical low 45 (30) Unspecified None None 0
Unspecified 11–16 Apr Tropical low 45 (30) Unspecified None None 0
Esther 25–30 Apr Category 1 tropical cyclone 65 (40) 996 Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea None 0
Season aggregates
15 systems 22 Nov – 30 Apr 130 (80) 975 Unknown Unknown

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tropical cyclones in the northeastern Australian region - 1960/61 season" (PDF). Australian Meteorological Magazine. 24: 50–75. 1959. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  2. ^ d'Aubert, AnaMaria; Nunn, Patrick D (March 2012). "Database 1: Tropical Cyclones (1558  – 1970)". Furious Winds and Parched Islands: Tropical Cyclones (1558–1970) and Droughts (1722–1987) in the Pacific. pp. 58–171. ISBN 978-1-4691-7008-4.
  3. ^ Kerr, Ian S (March 1, 1976). Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in the Southwest Pacific: November 1939 to May 1969 (PDF) (Report). pp. 23–28. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. ^ Callaghan, Jeff (12 August 2004). Known Tropical Cyclone Impacts in the Gulf of Carpentaria (PDF). Australian Severe Weather (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2020.