Cyclone Trevor

Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor was a powerful and large tropical cyclone that caused major damages across Papua New Guinea, Northern Territory and Queensland during March 2019. The twentieth tropical low, seventh tropical cyclone, and fourth severe tropical cyclone of the 2018-19 Australian region cyclone season, Trevor originated from a tropical low that formed to the east of Papua New Guinea.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor
Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale)
Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor making landfall in Australia, shortly after peak intensity on 23 March 2019
Formed15 March 2019
Dissipated26 March 2019
Highest winds10-minute sustained: 175 km/h (110 mph)
1-minute sustained: 195 km/h (120 mph)
Lowest pressure951 hPa (mbar); 28.08 inHg
FatalitiesNone reported
Damage$700,000 (2019 USD)
Areas affectedIndonesia, Papua New Guinea, Queensland, Northern Territory
Part of the 2018–19 Australian region cyclone season

Meteorological history
Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale

On March 15, a tropical low formed on the Solomon Sea, to the east of Papua New Guinea. Over the next couple of days, the tropical low moved to the southeast, crossing over the southeastern portion of Papua New Guinea on March 16, south of Port Moresby, and then turning southward on March 17. Late on the same day, the tropical low organized into Tropical Cyclone Trevor. Trevor intensified rapidly to a category 3 severe tropical cyclone before crossing the Queensland coast just south of Lockhart River. The cyclone slowed down before turning towards the southwest as it attained category 4 intensity over the warm waters of the Gulf towards the Northern Territory coast. On March 23, it made its second landfall near the Northern Territory/Queensland Border and was subject to weakening. It rapidly degraded inland and it was last noted near Richmond on the afternoon of March 26.[1]

Preparations and impact

Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea, a strong wind warning was put in effect for coastal areas between the Gulf of Papua and the Torres Strait.[2] Due to the wet weather Trevor brought to Port Moresby, the first day of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier had to be delayed.[3]

Trevor caused destruction across Goodenough Island. 591 residences were partially damaged, while 463 residences were fully damaged. A primary school was damaged by high winds, forcing classes to be cancelled for several weeks. On the island, 20% of gardens growing food were damaged by Trevor. The staff houses at a clinic in Yauyaula were mangled. In Kilia Ward, a church was destroyed by powerful winds. Fish ponds on the island were demolished by the cyclone.[4]

Indonesia
See also: 2019 Jayapura flood and landslide

In neighboring Indonesia, heavy rainfall partially associated with Trevor caused flash flooding and mudslides in the province of Papua on 16 March.[5] These floods displaced more than 5,000 people in the province. In Sentani, nine homes were swept away.[6] Numerous residences, three bridges, and a Twin Otter plane were damaged by the flash floods.[7] The floods and mudslides killed a total of 113 people.[8]

Australia
Bureau of Meteorology, Australia Twitter
@BOM_au

Not since Marcia/Lam in 2015 have we had 2 severe cyclones in the Aus region at the same time! #CycloneVeronica in northwest WA is currently Category 4 strength, while #CycloneTrevor in the Gulf of Carpentaria is also likely to intensify to Cat 4 today.

22 Mar 2019[9]

Cyclone’s Joaninha, Savannah, Veronica, and Trevor (from left to right) all active simultaneously on 21 March

As a precaution, roughly 1,400 people were forced to evacuate to shelters in rural parts of the Northern Territory.[10] This was the largest evacuation in the area since Cyclone Tracy in 1974.[11] A state of emergency was issued for the territory on 21 March.[12] The Carpentaria Highway, Roper Highway, Barkly Stock Route, and the Tablelands Highways were shut down.[13]

As the storm made landfall on the Cape York Peninsula, the entire town of Coen lost electricity while nearby Aurukun reported isolated power outages.[14] The Iron Range National Park received extensive damage from the storm with numerous trees being flattened.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Tropical Cyclone Trevor". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  2. ECHO (March 19, 2019). "Australia, Papua New Guinea - Tropical Cyclone TREVOR update (GDACS, JTWC, BOM, PNGMET, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 19 March 2019)". ReliefWeb. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. "Sport: Cyclone delays start of cricket qualifiers in PNG". rnz.co.nz. Radio New Zealand. March 21, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. "Impacts of Cyclone Trevor on Goodenough Island, Milne Bay Province" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  5. Kristina Pydynowski. "Australia: Tropical Cyclone Trevor forms, on track to target northern Queensland this week". accuweather.com. AccuWeather. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  6. Shannon Van Sant (March 17, 2019). "Flash Floods And Landslides In Indonesia Leave Dozens Dead". National Public Radio. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. "Flash floods kill at least 58 in Indonesia's Papua province". Channel News Asia. March 17, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. Euan McKirdy (March 26, 2019). "Grim search for survivors continues after floods kill 113 people in Indonesia". CNN. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  9. Bureau of Meteorology, Australia [@BOM_au] (22 Mar 2019). "Not since Marcia/Lam in 2015 have we had 2 severe cyclones in the Aus region at the same time! #CycloneVeronica in northwest WA is currently Category 4 strength, while #CycloneTrevor in the Gulf of Carpentaria is also likely to intensify to Cat 4 today" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. "Cyclone Trevor: Eyewitness describes the 'guttural howling roar'". bbc.com. BBC. March 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  11. IANS (March 23, 2019). "Cyclone Trevor hits Australia's northern coast". business-standard.com. Business Standard News. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  12. Joshua Berlinger, Taylor Ward (March 21, 2019). "Australia braces for twin cyclones as state of emergency declared in Northern Territory". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  13. Lisa Martin (March 23, 2019). "Cyclone Trevor lashes Northern Territory coast with destructive winds". The Guardian. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  14. Eric Leister. "Trevor to threaten Northern Territory after causing damage, flooding and power cuts in Cape York". accuweather.com. AccuWeather. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  15. Eric Barker, Brendan Mounter (July 13, 2019). "Cape York community's fight to save Iron Range rainforest devastated by Cyclone Trevor". abc.net.au. ABC. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
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