Category 4 Australian region tropical cyclone in 2015
Not to be confused with Cyclone Pam.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam
Cyclone Lam at peak intensity on 19 February
Meteorological history
Formed
12 February 2015
Remnant low
20 February 2015
Dissipated
24 February 2015
Category 4 severe tropical cyclone
10-minute sustained (BOM)
Highest winds
185 km/h (115 mph)
Highest gusts
260 km/h (160 mph)
Lowest pressure
942 hPa (mbar); 27.82 inHg
Category 3-equivalent tropical cyclone
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds
185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure
943 hPa (mbar); 27.85 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities
None reported
Damage
$78.1 million (2015 USD)
Areas affected
Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia
IBTrACS / [1]
Part of the 2014–15 Australian region cyclone season
Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam was the strongest storm to strike Australia's Northern Territory since Cyclone Monica in 2006. It formed from the monsoon trough on February 12 in the Coral Sea. For much of its duration, the system moved westward due to a ridge to the south. The system crossed over the Cape York Peninsula and moved into the Gulf of Carpentaria, whereupon it gradually organized due to warm waters and favorable outflow. On February 16, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) classified it as a Category 1 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale and gave it the name Lam. The storm intensified further while drifting toward the Wessel Islands, developing an eye and strengthening to the equivalence of a minimal hurricane on February 18. It strengthened to reach maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) early on February 19 before turning to the southwest, making it a Category 4 cyclone. That day, it made landfall on Northern Territory between Milingimbi and Elcho Island at peak intensity, and it rapidly weakened over land. About six hours after Lam moved ashore, Cyclone Marcia struck Queensland as a Category 5 cyclone, marking the first time on record that two storms of Category 4 intensity struck Australia on the same day.
In its formative stages, Lam produced heavy rainfall and flooding in Far North Queensland. Later, the cyclone's rainfall set daily precipitation records in Northern Territory. However, the winds caused the most damage, with gusts estimated as high as 230 km/h (145 mph). The highest gust was 170 km/h (110 mph) at Cape Wessel on Rimbija Island. Lam caused considerable destruction, particularly affecting local aboriginal communities. Total damage in the Northern Territory exceeded A$100 million (US$78.1 million).
^"Australian Tropical Cyclone Database" (CSV). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-30. A guide on how to read the database is available here.
Severe Tropical CycloneLam was the strongest storm to strike Australia's Northern Territory since Cyclone Monica in 2006. It formed from the monsoon trough...
(2023) (T2307, 07W) – a potent typhoon that struck Japan CycloneLam (2015) – a powerful cyclone with a similar name that struck Australia's Northern Territory...
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral...
2019 Cyclone Veronica – Another cyclone that formed around the same time as Trevor made landfall, and reached a similar intensity CyclonesLam and Marcia...
tropical cyclone warning signals, or informally typhoon signals, are a set of signals used to indicate the threat or effects of a tropical cyclone. The Hong...
During 2015, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be assigned names...
a list of tropical cyclones by year. Since the year 957, there have been at least 12,791 recorded tropical or subtropical cyclones in the Atlantic, Pacific...
Tropical cyclones are named for historical reasons and so as to avoid confusion when communicating with the public, as more than one tropical cyclone can exist...
Severe Cyclonic Storm Agni was a tropical cyclone of the 2004 North Indian Ocean cyclone season notable for its record proximity to the equator. It was...
landslides. In the Australian region, there were 17 tropical cyclones. In February, two cyclones – Lam and Marcia made landfall in Australia in a 24 hour period...
classification on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale which is used to classify tropical cyclones, that have 10-minute sustained winds of at...
Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall at its peak strength over central Queensland, near Shoalwater Bay on...
An Australian region tropical cyclone is a non-frontal, low-pressure system that has developed within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures...
Tropical cyclones regularly affect the coastlines of most of Earth's major bodies of water along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Also known as...
tropical cyclones which can often result in a cyclone having two names. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) will name a tropical cyclone if it has...
East Sea, hence, seeing the increased likeliness of tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones in this area are considered to be part of the Northwest Pacific...
Collectively, the tropical cyclones were responsible for at least 3,364 deaths. The season also had the highest accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) since 2005...
Pacific typhoon seasons, and became the first with below-average tropical cyclone activity since 2014, with 23 named storms, 10 of which became typhoons...
Tropical cyclones are non-frontal, low-pressure systems that develop, within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures and little vertical wind shear...
Global Information
