Summary
Vanessa was the fifth cyclone of the season. It developed slowly as it moved westwards from the Broome area and changed course twice before finally filling.
Although it did not cross the coast it affected most coastal communities between Broome and Albany during its lifetime.Cyclone Vanessa caused some rain at most coastal stations between Kuri Bay and Cape Leeuwin during its life, however, no abnormally high rainfall figures were reported. No flooding or flood damage resulted.
The maximum winds reported at land stations were in the Exmouth area during 25 January. Winds as high as 75 km/h (42 kn) were reported, but only superficial wind damage occurred. A gust of 87 km/h (47 kn) was recorded in Perth on 28 January.
A good selection of ship reports were available during Vanessa 's life, particularly during its period of maximum intensity.
The maximum wind reported was from the Iron Hunter which at one point experienced winds of about 260 km/h. In all 38 reports of winds exceeding gale force (63 km/h) were received from ships during the period. A selection of these reports is shown in Table 5.1, although the wind from the Iron Hunter mentioned above is not included as the report became available at a later date.
Seas as high as 7.5 m and swell as high as 10.0 m were reported by ships. No surge or sea damage was reported but heavy seas caused some disruptions to coastal shipping services.
For more details see the TC Vanessa Report (pdf).
Track and intensity
