Summary
Tropical cyclone Irene was the second of the season and the first to operate off the northwest coast. It remained over tropical waters throughout its lifetime and was too far away to seriously affect the coast. The track of cyclone Irene was abnormal during the early stages of its life in that it initially moved in a southeast direction from westsouthwest of Timor towards the North Kimberley coast. It then recurved sharply and moved parallel to the northwest coast.
It was a severe storm and at its most intense stage the central pressure was estimated to be 970 hPa with an estimated maximum wind of about 150 km/h.
For more details see the TC Irene Report (pdf).
Track and intensity
