Cyclone Steve was noted for its longevity and traversal of northern and western Australia. Although the system never reached "Severe" intensity, it impacted on regions of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia before clearing to the south of the continent.

Forming in the northern Coral Sea, near Willis Island, the system rapidly intensified to become tropical cyclone Steve around 7 am EST on the 27 February 2000. Steve intensified further during the day to reach Category 2 intensity by 1 pm EST, before crossing the east Queensland coast to the near north of Cairns around 7 pm EST.

The system then weakened slowly overland as it continued to track westward across Cape York Peninsula. Late on the 28th of February Steve moved back out over water in the Gulf of Carpentaria and by 10 pm EST had reintensified to tropical cyclone strength. A west-northwest track took Steve over Mornington Island and parallel to the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast before crossing the Northern Territory coast near Port McArthur.

Again, Steve weakened below cyclone strength as it traversed the Top End of the Northern Territory and Kimberley region between the 1st and 4th of March. During the early hours of the 5th March the system moved offshore near Broome, tracking in a southwest direction, and by 1 pm WST had again reintensified to cyclone intensity. Steve strengthened further during the day and was upgraded to a category 2 system early on the 6th of March.

Continuing on its path to the southwest, Steve passed to the near north of Port Hedland and Karratha during the 6th of March, before crossing the Pilbara coast near Mardie around midnight on the 6th of March. The system was again downgraded to Category 1 as it moved across the west Pilbara.

At around midnight on the 7th of March, Steve again moved offshore about 175 kilometres north of Carnarvon and followed the coast on a more southerly track. However, the system did not intensify further beyond Category 1 and made its final landfall during the 9th of March to the south of Carnarvon. Steve then continued to track southeast across southern parts of Western Australia during the 10th and 11th of March before moving offshore for the final time to the east of Esperance and over the waters of the Great Australian Bight.