MELANIE
1996-97 season · AU199697_02U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Melanie originated in late October 1996 when the Intertropical Convergence Zone generated persistent convection west of Sumatra. A tropical low formed on 28 October within the Australian region, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology named the system Melanie on 31 October, north of the Cocos Islands. Tracking generally westward under the influence of a southern ridge, the storm crossed into the South-West Indian Ocean on 1 November, at which point it was renamed Bellamine by Météo-France.
After the ridge shifted, the cyclone turned southwest and intensified rapidly. By 3 November it had reached tropical cyclone status, and on 4 November it peaked at 10-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h, qualifying it as an intense tropical cyclone — the highest classification used in the South-West Indian Ocean basin. The system then slowed its movement between two high-pressure systems and weakened slightly, before a new ridge drove it on a west-southwest track. By 6 November, winds had eased to 140 km/h, though the storm subsequently began re-intensifying with an increasingly well-defined eye approximately 70 km in diameter. The cyclone's dual identity — Melanie in the Australian basin and Bellamine in the South-West Indian Ocean — reflected standard inter-agency renaming procedures of the era.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (72 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-10-28 10:00:00 | 1 | -9.1, 97.8 | 1002 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-28 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.1, 97.7 | 1001 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-28 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.2, 97.3 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-28 22:00:00 | 1 | -9.3, 97.1 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 97.0 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.5, 96.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 10:00:00 | 1 | -9.6, 96.4 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.7, 96.3 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.8, 96.1 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-29 22:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 96.0 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 95.9 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 95.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 07:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 95.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 10:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 95.4 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 95.4 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.0, 95.3 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-30 22:00:00 | 1 | -10.0, 95.3 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 95.2 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 01:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 95.2 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.6, 94.8 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 10:00:00 | 1 | -9.3, 94.4 | 998 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.2, 94.1 | 997 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 16:00:00 | 1 | -9.0, 93.6 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 18:00:00 | 1 | -8.9, 93.3 | 993 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1996-10-31 22:00:00 | 1 | -8.7, 92.6 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 00:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 92.3 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 01:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 92.2 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 04:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 91.8 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 06:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 91.5 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 10:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 91.0 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 12:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 90.7 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 16:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 90.2 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 18:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 89.9 | 988 hPa | 23 km/h |
| 1996-11-01 22:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 89.4 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 00:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 89.1 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 01:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 89.0 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 04:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 88.7 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 06:00:00 | 1 | -8.6, 88.5 | 983 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 10:00:00 | 1 | -8.7, 88.2 | 980 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 12:00:00 | 1 | -8.8, 88.0 | 977 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.2, 87.5 | 970 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1996-11-02 22:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 87.2 | 965 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 87.1 | 963 hPa | 39 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 04:00:00 | 1 | -9.4, 86.8 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.8, 86.7 | 956 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 07:00:00 | 1 | -10.0, 86.7 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 10:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 86.6 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 86.4 | 946 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 16:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 86.0 | 940 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.2, 85.9 | 935 hPa | 51 km/h |
| 1996-11-03 22:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 85.6 | 925 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 85.5 | 923 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 04:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 85.4 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 85.3 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 10:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 85.2 | 920 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.4, 85.1 | 923 hPa | 57 km/h |
| 1996-11-04 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 84.9 | 933 hPa | 51 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 00:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 84.7 | 943 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 01:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 84.7 | 945 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 04:00:00 | 1 | -10.6, 84.5 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.7, 84.3 | 953 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 07:00:00 | 1 | -10.7, 84.2 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 10:00:00 | 1 | -10.9, 83.9 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 12:00:00 | 1 | -11.0, 83.7 | 949 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 18:00:00 | 1 | -11.2, 83.0 | 946 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1996-11-05 22:00:00 | 1 | -11.3, 82.5 | 945 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 00:00:00 | 1 | -11.3, 82.2 | 942 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 06:00:00 | 1 | -11.5, 81.4 | 936 hPa | 51 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 07:00:00 | 1 | -11.5, 81.3 | 935 hPa | 51 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 10:00:00 | 1 | -11.6, 80.9 | 930 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 12:00:00 | 1 | -11.6, 80.7 | 931 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1996-11-06 16:00:00 | 1 | -11.7, 80.2 | 935 hPa | 51 km/h |