RACHEL

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Rachel originated from a monsoon trough low that formed inland near Darwin on 31 December 1996. Moving slowly to the southwest, the system organised sufficiently to be named Tropical Cyclone Rachel on 3 January 1997, at that point located to the south-southwest of Melville Island. Warm ocean waters and low wind shear supported gradual intensification as the cyclone tracked southwest and passed over the Northern Kimberley, which temporarily weakened it. On 5 January it moved offshore near Cape Leveque, then rapidly intensified to a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone as it accelerated to the south-southeast. On the afternoon of 7 January, Rachel made a direct landfall on Port Hedland. The cyclone weakened quickly after moving inland and its remnants were last tracked on 10 January as the system entered South Australia.

Despite striking Port Hedland directly, the overall damage was relatively minor. Power outages affected parts of the town, a number of trees were uprooted, and flooding was reported in the area. The heaviest rainfall associated with Rachel fell at Yarrie, where approximately 196 mm accumulated over a 24-hour period. No casualties were reported in connection with the storm.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia