Summary
Tropical cyclone Kirsty formed from a low level circulation embedded in a deep monsoonal trough over the north Kimberley during 6 and 7 March. The low tracked to the west northwest off the Kimberley coast during the night of 7 March and slowly intensified to reach cyclone status early on 9 March. During the period 8 to early on 10 March Kirsty oscillated around 16°S 120°E. It then tracked southeast, intensifying to a Category three cyclone during the afternoon of 10 March as it changed direction to the south and then southsouthwest.
During 11 March Kirsty continued a steady south southwest track towards the Pilbara coast and intensified to a Category four cyclone with estimated maximum winds to 95 knots just before crossing the coast near Pardoo, 100 kilometres to the east of Port Hedland at 0600 WST 12 March. Ex-tropical cyclone Kirsty then tracked southeast through the northern Goldfields and further weakened by the morning of 14 March in the eastern Goldfields.
Pardoo station and Pardoo roadhouse suffered wind damage, with Pardoo station also recording a lowest pressure of 938 hPa at 0600 WST. Rainfall associated with Kirsty caused flooding in the east Pilbara and eastern Gascoyne and northern Goldfields.
For more details see the TC Kirsty Report (pdf)
Track and intensity
All times in WST - subtract 8 hours to convert to UTC.
