Summary
Tropical Cyclone Kate was a short-lived cyclone in the far northwest Coral Sea. Kate originated from a weak tropical low embedded in the monsoon trough near Torres Strait. On 22 February the low rapidly intensified as it tracked eastwards reaching cyclone intensity at 1800 UTC. Kate peaked at 26 m/s (50 knots) 0000 UTC 23 February but weakened soon after as the low level circulation remained stationary while the deep convection moved eastwards. During the early stages of Kate wave action washed away a jetty and caused beach erosion in the Torres Strait Islands.
Track and intensity
All times in UTC - add 10 hours to convert to EST.
