Melanie

History

Tropical Cyclone Melanie developed during the 2007–08 Australian region cyclone season, a season assessed as slightly below average for activity. The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre at Perth first identified the system as a tropical low on 27 December 2007, positioned over the Indian Ocean near latitude 11.2°S and longitude 117.2°E, well to the north-west of the Western Australian coastline. Shipping warnings were issued as the low showed signs of organisation, and early the following day, 28 December, Perth forecasters concluded the system had reached tropical cyclone intensity and assigned it the name Melanie.

Melanie initially tracked towards the south before recurving to the south-west on 29 December. During this stage it reached its peak strength, rated Category 2 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Because the storm's projected path brought it within range of the Western Australian coast, cyclone watches and warnings were raised for the Pilbara coast. Melanie was the first system of the 2007–08 season to prompt coastal cyclone watches in the Australian region.

The intensification phase was short-lived. From 30 December the cyclone's structure became increasingly disorganised and its central convection deteriorated, and on 31 December Melanie was downgraded to Category 1. Weakening continued over the following two days, and the system fell below tropical cyclone strength early on 2 January 2008, at which point Perth issued its final advisory. Although warnings had been in place for the Pilbara, Melanie had already decayed into a tropical low by the time it approached the coast, so it did not make landfall as a cyclone, and no significant damage or casualties were associated with the system.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia