FIONA

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Fiona developed from an area of convection that began organising into a tropical low on 3 February 2003, approximately 970 kilometres north of Karratha in Western Australia. The system initially drifted westward with limited development, but increasing convection near the centre prompted TCWC Perth to issue a warning, and the storm was officially named Fiona at 0700 UTC on 5 February. Situated in an environment of weak to moderate wind shear over warm equatorial waters, Fiona intensified steadily and reached a peak of Category 4 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, with maximum sustained winds of around 175 km/h. The storm tracked westward before curving sharply toward the south-southeast as a mid-latitude trough eroded the steering ridge. This recurvature directed Fiona over cooler waters, where increasing wind shear and reduced sea surface temperatures caused rapid weakening. The system dropped below tropical cyclone intensity in late 12 February. Fiona spent its entire lifecycle well offshore in the remote Indian Ocean, passing in proximity to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island, with gale warnings issued for the latter. The storm did not make landfall on any major territory and resulted in no recorded casualties or structural damage.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia