The wind speed increased. Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 storm whilst still out at sea, but there is some evidence to suggest that it had reached category 5 status when it made landfall. The cyclone passed directly over Darwin just after midnight, with its 'eye' centred on the airport and northern suburbs. The wind gauge at Darwin Airport officially recorded winds of 217 kilometres per hour before being blown away itself. Unofficial estimates suggest that the wind speed actually reached 300 kilometres per hour.
What was the name of the cyclone that passed Darwin three weeks before Tracy?
Cyclone Tracy moved in late on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1974. The eye passed directly over Darwin just after midnight, and the cyclone had passed by around 7:00am the next morning.
Selma
Cyclone Tracy moved in late on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1974. The eye passed directly over Darwin just after midnight on December 25, and the cyclone had passed completely by around 7:00am the next morning.
On Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, capital city of the Northern territory in Australia. The cyclone passed directly over Darwin just after midnight, with its 'eye' centred on the airport and northern suburbs, and had passed by 7am on Christmas morning.
Cyclone Tracy's eye was about 35 minutes in duration. The eye passed over Darwin airport between 3:50am and 4:25am on Christmas morning, 1974.
Cyclone Sally was a tropical cyclone that passed through Rarotonga a number of years ago.
Australia is a SINGLE country. The subdivisions are called States or Territories. Hurricane Tracy passed over the north eastern part of Australia (Queensland) and the City of Darwin.
by monkeyys
The city of Darwin in Australia was the most affected by Cyclone Tracy. The cyclone struck on Christmas Day in 1974 and caused widespread destruction, with approximately 70% of buildings in Darwin being damaged or destroyed. The impact was particularly severe due to the relatively small and isolated nature of the city at that time.
Tracy was not a particularly big cyclone, but its effect was extremely devastating because it hit Darwin directly. 65 people were killed, and 9,000 homes destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. Cyclone Tracy was not expected to hit: it did so after appearing to be heading past, meaning that many were caught unawares. Also, the fact that it was Christmas Eve caused many people to be in a state of denial. In terms of power, Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 storm whilst still out at sea, but there is some evidence to suggest that it had reached category 5 status when it made landfall. There was no way to accurately measure its strength at landfall, as it completely blew away the weather instrumentation at Darwin airport. Gale force winds extended from the center for 40km. When it passed over Darwin, the diameter of the eye was 12km.
Cyclone Tracy began as a tropical storm out in the Arafura Sea. It developed into a category 4 cyclone as it moved towards Australia's northern coast. On Christmas Day, 25 December 1974, Tracy made landfall and left Darwin in shreds. The cyclone passed directly over Darwin just after midnight, with its 'eye' centred on the airport and northern suburbs. The wind gauge at Darwin Airport officially recorded winds of 217 kilometres per hour before being blown away itself. Unofficial estimates suggest that the wind speed actually reached 300 kilometres per hour, making it possibly a category 5 when it made landfall. Its destruction was so great because Darwin was a bit of a ramshackle town, with many building codes not adhered to during its "boom" time, post-war. Quite simply, the buildings were not made to withstand cyclones, despite being within the cyclone belt. Officially, 71 people were killed, and 9,000 homes destroyed, out of a city of 43,500 people living in 12,000 residences. However, unofficial estimates are much higher as these figures do not include the local indigenous populations or drifters and homeless in Darwin at that time. There were 22 vessels at sea when the cyclone struck, and of those aboard, 16 were never found. Most of Darwin's residents were evacuated following the devastation, and many of them never returned.