GILLIAN

History

Tropical Cyclone Gillian was a short-lived system that formed and dissipated entirely over open water in the Coral Sea during February 1997.

Gillian originated from a low embedded in an active monsoon trough over the central Coral Sea on 9 February, roughly 500 km east-north-east of Cairns. Moving generally towards the south-south-east across warm waters, the low gradually became better organised, and the Bureau of Meteorology's Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre named it Gillian on 10 February as it reached Category 1 strength on the Australian scale.

At its peak the cyclone had an estimated minimum central pressure of about 992 hPa, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds near 75 km/h (40 knots) and gusts to around 100 km/h. Gillian held this intensity through 11 February while continuing on its south-south-easterly course through the central Coral Sea, but favourable conditions did not last. An approaching upper-level trough drove strong mid- to upper-level westerly shear across the system, and the deep convection was stripped away from the low-level centre. Gillian was downgraded to a tropical low late on 11 February, and the remaining circulation dissipated over open water on 12 February.

The cyclone never approached land, remaining more than 400 km offshore from the Queensland coast for its entire life, so there was no coastal wind damage, flooding rain or beach erosion. High-seas warnings were issued for shipping in the central Coral Sea, where Gillian generated squally conditions and rough seas near outer Barrier Reef stations. No casualties, injuries or structural damage were attributed to the system — a minor entry in an otherwise busy 1996–97 Australian region season.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia