SHARON
1993-94 season · AU199394_08U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Sharon was the most intense tropical cyclone to affect the Western Australian region during the 1993–94 Australian cyclone season. The system originated as a tropical low approximately 1,100 kilometres north of Northwest Cape on 12 March 1994, under favourable conditions of warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear. It underwent rapid intensification by 14 March, reaching Category 4 severity with a minimum central pressure of around 930 hPa and peak sustained winds of approximately 185 km/h, with gusts exceeding 250 km/h over open water.
As Sharon tracked south-southwestward toward the Pilbara coast, cyclone warnings were issued for the west Pilbara and upper west coast. Offshore oil, gas, and mining platforms on the North West Shelf were placed on high alert, with precautionary evacuations of personnel carried out and commercial shipping rerouted. However, from 16 March onward, Sharon encountered intense upper-level westerly wind shear associated with a deep atmospheric trough to its south. This rapidly stripped away the storm's convective structure, causing dramatic weakening well before any coastal landfall. Warnings were cancelled on the morning of 17 March, and by 18 March the system had fallen below cyclone intensity. The remnant circulation drifted westward across the Indian Ocean before fully dissipating around 22 March. No landfall occurred, and there were no reported casualties or structural damage on the mainland.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (63 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-03-12 06:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 119.0 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-12 12:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 118.2 | 1005 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-12 18:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 117.4 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 00:00:00 | 1 | -9.9, 116.6 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 03:00:00 | 1 | -10.1, 116.2 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 06:00:00 | 1 | -10.3, 115.8 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 09:00:00 | 1 | -10.5, 115.4 | 1000 hPa | 15 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 12:00:00 | 1 | -10.7, 115.0 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 15:00:00 | 1 | -10.8, 114.7 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 18:00:00 | 1 | -10.9, 114.5 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-13 21:00:00 | 1 | -11.1, 114.5 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 00:00:00 | 1 | -11.4, 114.5 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 03:00:00 | 1 | -11.7, 114.5 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 06:00:00 | 1 | -12.2, 114.4 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 09:00:00 | 1 | -12.7, 114.2 | 980 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 12:00:00 | 1 | -13.1, 114.1 | 975 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 15:00:00 | 1 | -13.4, 113.8 | 970 hPa | 33 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 18:00:00 | 1 | -13.7, 113.6 | 965 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1994-03-14 21:00:00 | 1 | -13.9, 113.5 | 960 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 00:00:00 | 1 | -14.2, 113.5 | 955 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 03:00:00 | 1 | -14.5, 113.2 | 950 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 06:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 112.9 | 945 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 09:00:00 | 1 | -15.4, 112.8 | 935 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 12:00:00 | 1 | -15.9, 112.7 | 930 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 15:00:00 | 1 | -16.3, 112.4 | 935 hPa | 54 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 18:00:00 | 1 | -16.6, 112.3 | 945 hPa | 51 km/h |
| 1994-03-15 21:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 112.2 | 950 hPa | 49 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 00:00:00 | 1 | -17.2, 112.2 | 955 hPa | 46 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 03:00:00 | 1 | -17.4, 112.1 | 960 hPa | 44 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 06:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 111.7 | 965 hPa | 41 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 09:00:00 | 1 | -17.6, 111.3 | 970 hPa | 36 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 12:00:00 | 1 | -17.7, 110.8 | 975 hPa | 31 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 15:00:00 | 1 | -17.8, 110.4 | 980 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 18:00:00 | 1 | -17.8, 109.9 | 980 hPa | 28 km/h |
| 1994-03-16 21:00:00 | 1 | -17.9, 109.5 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 00:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 109.1 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 03:00:00 | 1 | -18.2, 108.7 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 06:00:00 | 1 | -18.4, 108.3 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 09:00:00 | 1 | -18.7, 107.9 | 985 hPa | 26 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 12:00:00 | 1 | -18.9, 107.4 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 15:00:00 | 1 | -19.2, 107.1 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 18:00:00 | 1 | -19.5, 106.7 | 990 hPa | 21 km/h |
| 1994-03-17 21:00:00 | 1 | -19.9, 106.3 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-18 00:00:00 | 1 | -20.3, 105.9 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-18 06:00:00 | 1 | -20.9, 105.4 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-18 12:00:00 | 1 | -21.4, 104.9 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-18 18:00:00 | 1 | -22.1, 104.4 | 995 hPa | 18 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 00:00:00 | 1 | -22.7, 104.1 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 06:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 104.2 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 09:00:00 | 1 | -23.5, 104.3 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 12:00:00 | 1 | -23.6, 104.3 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 15:00:00 | 1 | -23.8, 104.2 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 18:00:00 | 1 | -24.0, 103.9 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-19 21:00:00 | 1 | -24.2, 103.9 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-20 00:00:00 | 1 | -24.5, 103.9 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-20 06:00:00 | 1 | -25.5, 103.9 | 1000 hPa | 13 km/h |
| 1994-03-20 12:00:00 | 1 | -26.5, 104.0 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-20 18:00:00 | 1 | -27.3, 104.4 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-21 00:00:00 | 1 | -28.0, 104.7 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-21 06:00:00 | 1 | -29.6, 105.6 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-21 12:00:00 | 1 | -30.8, 106.8 | 1005 hPa | 10 km/h |
| 1994-03-21 18:00:00 | 1 | -31.6, 108.5 | 1010 hPa | — |
| 1994-03-22 00:00:00 | 1 | -32.2, 110.6 | 1010 hPa | — |