Global InformationCyclone Kelvin information
 Kelvin during its peak intensity over Western Australia on 18 February | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 11 February 2018 |
| Remnant low | 19 February 2018 |
| Dissipated | 21 February 2018 |
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone | |
| 10-minute sustained (Aus) | |
| Highest winds | 150 km/h (90 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 955 hPa (mbar); 28.20 inHg |
| Category 1-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 140 km/h (85 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 971 hPa (mbar); 28.67 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $25 million |
| Areas affected | Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2017–18 Australian region cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Kelvin was a strong tropical cyclone that impacted Western Australia in February 2018, causing moderate damage. The system was first identified as a weak tropical low on the morning of 11 February over the Northern Territory's Tiwi Islands by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The low moved southwestwards over land and emerged over the Indian Ocean near Broome on 16 February. The storm intensified into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the following day, becoming the sixth named storm of the 2017–18 Australian region cyclone season. Kelvin subsequently moved slowly eastwards and began to rapidly intensify in the hours prior to landfall. On 18 February, the storm crossed the coast along Eighty Mile Beach as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, and a high-end Category 1 hurricane-equivalent cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Despite being over land, Kelvin weakened at a slow rate over the next few days, and was downgraded to a tropical low on 19 February. The remnant low of the system drifted over the Outback before being last noted by BoM on 21 February.
Kelvin brought widespread heavy rainfall to the Kimberley region which had already been saturated by other tropical cyclones earlier in the season. As a result, significant flooding occurred in parts of the Kimberley, including in the towns of Broome, which recorded a record annual rainfall total following the storm, and Kalumburu. Property damage was sustained at Broome and Nita Downs, where the cyclone made landfall. Additionally, the Great Northern Highway sustained infrastructural damage as a result of the heavy rainfall and flooding, cutting off access to the towns and leading to a shortage of supplies. Repairs were estimated to take months. Pastoral stations were heavily affected by the cyclone, including Anna Plains Station, which sustained property damage, and Mandora Station, half of which was completely flooded. Overall, Cyclone Kelvin incurred an estimated AUS$25 million ($25 million in 2018 USD) in losses.[1]
- ^ "Global Catastrophe Recap April 2018" (PDF). Aon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2018.