Nora

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Nora developed from a tropical low that formed near the Torres Strait on 19 March 2018. The system initially tracked west-northwest before moving slowly southwestward across the Arafura Sea, then turned east on 22 March into conditions more favourable for development. It was named Nora after reaching tropical cyclone intensity later that day, and underwent rapid intensification as it moved southeastward into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Nora peaked on 23 March as a high-end Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with ten-minute sustained winds of 155 km/h, gusts to 220 km/h, and a central pressure of 960 hPa. It made landfall approximately 55 kilometres north of Pormpuraaw on Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria coast at around 13:00 UTC on 24 March as a low-end Category 3 system, marking the first Gulf coast Queensland landfall since Tropical Cyclone Abigail in 2001. Nora tracked southward along the coast before being downgraded to a tropical low the following day, eventually dissipating near Mornington Island on 28 March.

The cyclone caused widespread damage across Far North Queensland. Strong winds downed trees and power lines around Pormpuraaw, Kowanyama, and Mapoon, cutting power to over 500 homes. Exceptionally heavy rainfall — including 593 mm in 24 hours at Port Douglas — triggered flash flooding in Cairns, landslides blocking major highways, and widespread isolation of communities. Agricultural losses added to significant infrastructure damage, with total economic impacts estimated to exceed AU$32.5 million.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia