HUBERT

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hubert–Coryna developed from a tropical disturbance spawned by the monsoon trough near Christmas Island on 6 January 1996. Tracking west-southwestward, the system was named Hubert by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on 7–8 January as it organised over warm waters north of the Western Australian coast. It intensified steadily, reaching peak 10-minute sustained winds of around 150 km/h and achieving Category 3 severe tropical cyclone status, with a minimum central pressure of approximately 960 hPa. The system remained well offshore throughout its time in the Australian basin, posing no direct threat to the mainland.

On 9 January, increasing wind shear caused the cyclone to weaken before it crossed the 90°E boundary into the South-West Indian Ocean basin on approximately 12 January. At that point, monitoring responsibility transferred to Météo-France's RSMC La Réunion, which renamed the system Coryna. Continuing west-southwest into an environment of elevated wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures, Coryna gradually lost intensity and dissipated fully around 19 January 1996.

No landfalls occurred during the cyclone's entire lifespan. There were no reported casualties or structural damage onshore, though the system generated significant swells across the North West Shelf, prompting safety precautions at offshore oil and gas facilities and temporary rerouting of commercial shipping. The storm is chiefly notable for its cross-basin track and the associated operational handover between Australian and French meteorological authorities.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia