TESSI

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Tessi was a compact but destructive system that struck North Queensland in early April 2000. Its origins lay in a northwest–southeast oriented trough that lingered over the Coral Sea in late March. Convection became organised on 31 March about 1,100 km east of Cooktown, prompting the Bureau of Meteorology to classify the disturbance as a tropical low and begin issuing gale warnings. Favourable outflow generated by an anticyclone to the east helped a closed circulation form quickly, and rainbands wrapped tightly around the centre as the low drifted southwestward around a mid-level ridge. At 18:00 UTC on 1 April, less than 500 km northeast of Townsville, the system was named Tessi.

Tessi was exceptionally small — a "midget" cyclone — and its wind field was lopsided, with gales reaching 185 km from the centre to the south but only about 30 km to the north. Weak wind shear allowed rapid intensification close to the coast, and by 18:00 UTC on 2 April radar revealed a tiny eye just 10 km wide. Peak intensity came around 20:00 UTC on 2 April: Category 3 on the Australian scale, with 10-minute sustained winds of 140 km/h and a central pressure of 980 hPa. Shortly afterwards, near 22:00 UTC, Tessi crossed the coast just south of Lucinda, roughly 75 km northwest of Townsville, then weakened swiftly inland and dissipated on 3 April. The late intensification had been poorly handled by forecast models.

Damage extended along the coast from Ingham to Ayr. Townsville recorded gusts to 130 km/h and a record 423.4 mm of rain in 24 hours; thousands of trees fell, roofs were stripped, roads were blocked and 50,000 homes lost power. Magnetic Island, buffeted by sustained winds of 109 km/h, endured its worst storm in three decades. Torrential rain triggered a large landslide at Castle Hill that destroyed two homes, forced about 400 residents from around 140 houses and sent ten people to hospital with acute stress. Flooding submerged the town of Giru, boats were wrecked and the Port of Townsville suffered $1.1 million in damage. Losses in Townsville exceeded $50 million, and the name Tessi was retired.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia