DES

History

Tropical Cyclone Des was a brief, weak system that lived out its entire life over the open waters of the Coral Sea in early March 2002. It developed from a tropical low embedded in an active monsoonal trough over the central Coral Sea on 3 March, and consolidated quickly over warm water as it drifted east-northeastward, being named by the Bureau of Meteorology's Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre late that same day.

Des reached its peak intensity as a Category 1 system on the Australian scale, with a minimum central pressure of around 992 hPa and 10-minute sustained winds near 75 km/h, accompanied by gusts to about 100 km/h. It held this strength through 4 March while tracking generally eastward across the open sea in the direction of New Caledonia. Strengthening upper-level westerly wind shear then tore the deep convection away from the low-level circulation, and the cyclone weakened below tropical cyclone intensity on 5 March, dissipating over the waters between Queensland and New Caledonia.

Because Des remained well offshore, there were no impacts on the Queensland coast. Its remnants produced only localised squalls and rough seas in maritime areas west of New Caledonia, and no casualties, injuries or structural damage were reported.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia