NORMAN

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Norman developed from a tropical low that moved off the west Kimberley coast on 29 February 2000, during the 1999–2000 Australian cyclone season. The system moved into the Indian Ocean and was named as it tracked southwestward, running roughly parallel to the Pilbara coastline at a distance of approximately 250 kilometres offshore. Norman intensified rapidly, reaching its peak as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on 2 March while located about 780 kilometres west-northwest of Exmouth, with a central pressure estimated at 920 hPa. Over the following two days the system gradually weakened as it continued on a westward track, carrying it progressively further from the Australian coast. On 6 March the cyclone turned onto a more southerly track before finally dissipating on 8 March. Norman did not make landfall at any point, and the Bureau of Meteorology recorded no direct impacts on Western Australia from the storm. There were no casualties or structural damage reported on the mainland. The system's track well offshore meant that, despite its considerable intensity, it remained a marine event with no significant consequences for coastal communities or infrastructure.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia