Introduction
Tropical cyclones pose a serious threat to Northern Territory communities and industry. Much of the Northern territory coastline being close to the equator, is in a region where cyclones tend to form. This can be an advantage as a cyclone forming near the coast will often cross the coast before it has a chance to substantially intensify. The drawback is that when a cyclone develops near the coast there will not be as much warning opportunity for communities in its path.
See also: Map of the Australia cyclone regions
Cyclone Season
Tropical cyclones in our region mostly form from lows within the monsoon trough, between November and April.
Climatology
Cyclone frequency
There are on average 7.7 days per season when a cyclone exists in the Northern Region. The northwestern Gulf of Carpentaria near Gove has the highest concentration of cyclone days. The Gulf of Carpentaria averages two cyclones a year, while the Arafura and Timor Seas average one a year. Cyclones in the Gulf of Carpentaria move very erratically, whereas those in the Arafura and Timor Seas tend to follow more regular tracks to the southwest. Over half the cyclones generated in the Northern Region move either southwest or southeast into adjoining regions.
Frequency by year
Image below: Graph of Northern region cyclone frequency per year from 1963 to 2006. Severe cyclones are shown in red.
Frequency by month
Graph below: Number of tropical cyclones in the Northern region, per month, from 1963 to 2006.
Frequency by severity
Of the 104 cyclones recorded in the Northern Region (including entire Gulf of Carpentaria) from 1963 to 2006, only 31 were severe (category 3, 4 or 5).
Northern region cyclone history
Selected reports
| Tropical Cyclone Helen | 01 - 07 January 2008 |
| Tropical Cyclone Monica | 17 - 27 April 2006 |
| Tropical Cyclone Ingrid | 6 - 17 March 2005 |
| Tropical Cyclone Steve | 27 Feb - 11 Mar 2000 |
| Tropical Cyclone Thelma | 6 -12 December 1998 |
| Tropical Cyclone Tracy | 20 - 25 December 1974 |
Cyclone tracks and details
Northern region cyclone tracks and details
Image below: Tropical cyclone tracks for cyclones that formed or moved through the Northern region from 1970 - 2004. (See also: Tropical cyclones since 1906: Search for cyclones by season and location.)
