2013–14 Australian region cyclone season
The 2013–14 Australian region cyclone season was a slightly below-average tropical cyclone season, with 10 tropical cyclones occurring within the Australian region. It officially started on 1 November 2013, and ended on 30 April 2014. The regional tropical cyclone operational plan defines a "tropical cyclone year" separately from a "tropical cyclone season"; the "tropical cyclone year" began on 1 July 2013 and ended on 30 June 2014.
| 2013–14 Australian region cyclone season | |
|---|---|
Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | 20 November 2013 |
| Last system dissipated | 26 April 2014 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Ita |
| • Maximum winds | 220 km/h (140 mph) (10-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 922 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Tropical lows | 16 |
| Tropical cyclones | 10 |
| Severe tropical cyclones | 5 |
| Total fatalities | 22 total |
| Total damage | $1.15 billion (2014 USD) |
| Related articles | |
After two seasons with no cyclones of Category 5 intensity, this season saw two of the ten named storms reaching this level: Gillian and Ita. Of the two systems, Gillian rapidly intensified from a tropical low to a Category 5 in just 48 hours but caused only minor damage. Ita was ultimately the strongest and most intense system inside the basin and made landfall on the Far North Queensland coast near Cooktown, causing minor damage but significant flooding. In addition, significant damage was also caused by Christine in the towns of Wickham and Roebourne in Western Australia while Fletcher dumped over 1,250 mm of rainfall on the Queensland town of Kowanyama, making it the fifth-wettest tropical cyclone in the country on record.