Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Climatology | Impacts | Extremes| TCs affecting WA towns | Forecast Accuracy
Frequently Asked Questions | Annual summaries

Definitions | Characteristics and Formation | Climatology | Extremes | Forecasting | More Information

Climatology

1. When is the cyclone season?

The Australian cyclone season officially runs from November to April, although very few have occurred in November. The earliest cyclone to impact the northwest coast in the season was on 19 November 1910 when the eye passed over Broome. The latest cyclone was Herbie that formed near Cocos Islands and passed over Shark Bay on 21 May 1988. In the beginning of the cyclone season, the most likely area to be affected by tropical cyclones is the Kimberley and Pilbara coastline. Later in the season, the area threatened extends further south including the west coast. The chance of experiencing an intense category 4 or 5 cyclone is highest in March and April.

Further west in the Indian Ocean, cyclones can occur all year around although the risk of one in the winter months is very low.

Monthly frequency of cyclones off northwest Australia 1988/89 - 2003/04 for all cyclones (red) and intense cyclones (category 4 and 5) (blue).