MONTY

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Monty developed in late February 2004, forming from a low pressure system that tracked westward over the Pilbara before moving off the Kimberley Coast on 26 February. The system intensified rapidly over warm ocean waters, reaching Category 4 intensity — its peak — around 0900 UTC on 29 February 2004, a leap day. A buoy near the centre recorded mean winds of around 80 knots at peak intensity. Monty subsequently weakened slightly before making landfall on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia as a Category 3 storm. It continued to weaken as it pushed inland, dropping to Category 2 on 2 March before degenerating into a remnant low over central Western Australia on 3 March.

Despite the Pilbara's sparse population limiting direct property damage, Monty produced record flooding on the Maitland, Robe, and Fortescue Rivers. The town of Pannawonica was isolated by floodwaters, a bridge on the North West Coastal Highway was washed away, and two people had to be rescued from the roof of a home in Yarraloola. Offshore, oil and gas facilities experienced disruption, and two vessels broke their moorings and ran aground. Given its significant impacts, the name Monty was retired from the Australian region tropical cyclone naming list and replaced with Mitchell, first used in 2012.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia