Tropical Cyclone Advices (Warning & Watch)

Introduction

Tropical Cyclone Advices are issued whenever a tropical cyclone is expected to cause winds in excess of 62 km/h (gale force) over land in Australia*. A tropical cyclone advice may be a watch and/or a warning, depending on when and where the gales are expected to develop.

When is a Tropical Cyclone Advice issued?

• A tropical cyclone watch is issued for coastal communities when the onset of gales is expected within 48 hours, but not within 24 hours.
• A tropical cyclone warning is issued for coastal communities when the onset of gales is expected within 24 hours, or are already occurring

Each advice issued for a particular cyclone will be numbered sequentially, starting at number 1 for the first advice.  A tropical cyclone advice may contain a combined watch and warning, that is it will provide information on the area under watch status and the area under warning status.

How often is a Tropical Cyclone Advice issued?

While the threat remains, a tropical cyclone advice will be issued every six hours, increasing to every three hours when cyclone warnings are required. In some circumstances, when a cyclone approaching the coast is under radar surveillance, the advices may be issued hourly.

What Information is included in the Tropical Cyclone Advice?

Each Tropical Cyclone Advice will consist of the following information:

• The area covered by a cyclone watch and area covered by a cyclone warning
• The cyclone name
• The intensity category of the cyclone (1 - weak to 5 - strong)
• The latest observed location of the cyclone centre
• The central pressure of the cyclone (warning only)
• The distance of the cyclone to significant locations
• The expected or recent movement of the cyclone
• Range of destructive winds
• Maximum wind gusts
• Advisory statements on actions to be taken to mitigate the effects of the cyclone (note this is issued separately for the NT and Kimberley)
• The issue time for the next warning

Usually, each advice will have an associated threat map issued.

Who is the target audience of Tropical Cyclone Advice?

All land based communities in the threat zone.
Note that separate marine warnings will be issued, and all mariners should refer to these warnings for relevant information.

Where are Tropical Cyclone Outlooks Advice issued?

Tropical Cyclone Advices are issued by Regional Offices of the Bureau of Meteorology in Brisbane, Darwin or Perth, depending on the location of the cyclone:

Note that Perth will also issue tropical cyclone advices for Cocos and Christmas Islands.

* If a cyclone is expected to affect the east coast of Queensland, but not cross the coast, a watch or warning will only be issued if winds over land are expected to exceed 75 km/h