Understanding cyclones : Northern Territory.

Cat. no. 9227393

Cover title

For six months of the year approximately 20,000 km of Australia's coastline and 20 per cent of the population are vulnerable to the devastating winds, high seas and flood rains of a tropical cyclone. The cyclone season is normally confined to between December and April but exceptions do occur. The earliest cyclone in any season was Ines in the Northern Territory (17-24 November 1973); the latest was Herbie in Western Australia (17-21 May 1988). Australia's population in tropical areas is growing rapidly with the development of mineral, energy, tourism, fishing and agricultural industries and with changing defence priorities. Unfortunately, this rapid growth, coupled with a large transient population in these areas, results in many residents being not fully informed of the potential danger of tropical cyclones and of the best way to protect their lives and property when a tropical cyclone threat occurs. This booklet provides general information about tropical cyclones, and more specifically, information on the tropical cyclone warning system operated by the Bureau of Meteorology to alert threatened communities