The 2000–01 Australian region cyclone season was a below average tropical cyclone season. It began on 1 November 2000 and ended on 30 April 2001. The regional tropical cyclone operational plan also defines a tropical cyclone year separately from a tropical cyclone season, which runs from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001.
Sam originated from a tropical low that formed in the Arafura Sea on 28 November. Tracking generally westward, the initial low-pressure area remained generally weak until it entered the Timor Sea, by which time it had strengthened into a tropical cyclone on 5 December. Though a subtropical ridge was forcing the cyclone westward at the time,[2] an approaching shortwavetrough caused Sam to track southward the following day, towards the Australian coast.[3][4] During its southward progression, Sam rapidly intensified, and reached its peak intensity on 7 December.[2][3][4] The next day, the storm made landfall near Lagrange, Western Australia at the same intensity.[5] Once inland, Sam was slow to weaken as it recurved eastward, and persisted for nearly a week inland before dissipating on 14 December.[4]
Throughout its existence, Cyclone Sam brought heavy rainfall to a wide swath of northern Australia.[3][4] Rainfall peaked at520 mm (20 in) in Shelamar over a 48-hour period ending on 11 December. Upon making landfall, damage was considerable, albeit localized.[4] Most of the destruction wrought by Sam occurred near the coast, particularly in Bidyadanga and Anna Springs Station.[3][4][6] Some buildings sustained considerable damage, and trees and power lines were felled, resulting in some power outages.[2] Offshore, 163 illegal immigrants aboard two vessels were feared to have drowned, which would make Sam one of the deadliest cyclones in Australian history.[2][7] However, these people were later accounted for.[8]
Terri formed on 27 January 2001 near the northern Kimberley coast. The storm paralleled the coast, reaching Category 2 strength before making landfall near Pardoo early on 31 January. The storm dissipated Late on the same day.[9]
Cyclone Vincent formed on 7 February 2001, 900 km northwest of Onslow, Western Australia from an active monsoonal trough. Wind shear prevented the tropical low from intensifying for a few days, but once the storm formed it began to move southeast and intensify. Vincent peaked with sustained winds of 100 km/h (65 mph) which made it a Category 2 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Cyclone Vincent crossed the Western Australia coast as a tropical low, a few kilometres south of Broome, Western Australia.[10]
Wylva formed from a low in the Gulf of Carpentaria on 15 February. Wylva briefly became a Category 1 tropical cyclone before making landfall near Booroloola in the morning of 16 February. Even though the system made landfall in a remote area, the remnants of the system caused $13 million in damage and around 700 people had to be evacuated. The remnants of Wylva dissipated on 22 February near Nanutarra.
Walter was a storm that formed east of Christmas Island and tracked westward at a low latitude.
On 3 April, Cocos Island was placed under a cyclone watch as Walter approached the island.[12] Throughout 5 April, heavy rains and high winds, estimated up to 90 km/h (56 mph) battered the area as Walter passed by the island.[13]
The second most damaging cyclone of the 2000–01 cyclone season, Alistair made landfall close to Carnarvon on 24 April 2001 as a poorly organized cyclone. The centre passed just to the north of town with a wind gust to 67 kilometres per hour from the northeast recorded at 4:11 am. Minimum pressure of 1002.9 hPa was recorded at 5 am, followed by the peak recorded wind gust of 90 kilometres per hour from the southeast at 6 am. A total of 24 mm of rainfall was reported in Carnarvon. Plantations to the north of Carnarvon reported 30-40% crop losses, with wind estimates of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour.[14]
Other systems
On 28 November, a tropical low formed near Christmas Island. Moving southeastward, the low was last noted to the south-southwest of Jakarta on 30 November.
On 4 December, the TCWC Brisbane reported that a tropical low formed near the tip of the Cape York Peninsula. Moving southwestward, the primary responsibility of the tropical low was passed to the TCWC Darwin from TCWC Brisbane as the low made landfall near Alyangula. It was last noted on 6 December.
On 7 January, the TCWC Darwin reported that a tropical low developed to the north-northwest of Tiwi Islands. The low slowly moved to the south-southwest, before it was last noted while inland, near Katherine.
Another tropical low formed on 16 March near Christmas Island. Wind shear prevented further intensification, and it dissipated the next day.
On 4 April, a weak tropical low formed to the north of Nhulunbuy. It was last seen the next day.
Storm names
TCWC Perth
Sam
Terri
Vincent
Walter
TCWC Darwin
Winsome
Alistair
TCWC Brisbane
Wylva
Abigail
The Bureau of Meteorology would later retire the names Sam and Abigail, replacing them with Sean and Anika respectively. Anika was first used in 2008 with Sean following later in 2010.
Season effects
This is a table of all of the storms that have formed in the 2000–01 Australian region cyclone season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s)–denoted by bold location names – damages, and death totals. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 2001 AUD and USD.
^ abcdefPerth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Severe Tropical Cyclone Sam(PDF). Bureau of Meteorology Tropical Cyclone Report (Report). Perth, Australia: Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
^United States Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (2001). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report For 2001(PDF). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (Report). Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: Joint Typhoon Warning Center. pp. 199–200, 258, 306. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
