:1987–88 Australian region cyclone season

{{Infobox hurricane season

| Basin=Aus

| Year=1988

| Track=1987-1988 Australian region cyclone season summary.png

| First storm formed=6 December 1987

| Last storm dissipated=20 May 1988

| Strongest storm name=Gwenda-Ezenina

| Strongest storm pressure=940

| Strongest storm winds=100

| Average wind speed=10

| Total depressions=6 (record low)

| Total storms=5

| Total intense=3

| Fatalities=1

| Damages=17.9

| five seasons=1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90

| South Indian season=1987–88 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

| South Pacific season=1987–88 South Pacific cyclone season

}}

The 1987–88 Australian region cyclone season was the one of least active Australian region tropical cyclone seasons on record. It officially started on 1 November 1987, and officially ended on 30 April 1988. 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 1987 and ended on 30 June 1988.{{cite web|url=http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/tcp/documents/TCP24-English2008.pdf|format=PDF|publisher=WMO|title=Tropical Cyclone Operational plan for the South Pacific & Southeast Indian Ocean 2008|accessdate=2008-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728234116/http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/documents/TCP24-English2008.pdf|archive-date=2012-07-28|url-status=dead}}

Seasonal summary

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AlignBars = early

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy

Period = from:01/12/1987 till:31/05/1988

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id:GP value:red

id:TL value:rgb(0.43,0.76,0.92) legend:Tropical_Low_=_<63_km/h_(<39_mph)

id:C1 value:rgb(0.3,1,1) legend:Category_1_=_63–88_km/h_(39-55_mph)

id:C2 value:rgb(0.75,1,0.75) legend:Category_2_=_89–117_km/h_(55-73_mph)

id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.55) legend:Category_3_=_118–159_km/h_(73-99_mph)

id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.45,0.54) legend:Category_4_=_160–199_km/h_(99-124_mph)

id:C5 value:rgb(0.55,0.46,0.9) legend:Category_5_=_≥200_km/h_(≥124_mph)

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bar:Month

PlotData=

barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till

from:06/12/1987 till:09/12/1987 color:TL text:"Ariny (TL)"

from:06/01/1988 till:14/01/1988 color:C2 text:"Agi (C2)"

from:28/01/1988 till:02/02/1988 color:C3 text:"Frederic (C3)"

from:06/02/1988 till:12/02/1988 color:C4 text:"Gwenda (C4)"

from:19/02/1988 till:01/03/1988 color:C3 text:"Charlie (C3)"

from:17/05/1988 till:20/05/1988 color:C1 text:"Herbie (C1)"

bar:Month width:6 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas

from:01/12/1987 till:31/12/1987 text:December

from:01/01/1988 till:31/01/1988 text:January

from:01/02/1988 till:28/02/1988 text:February

from:01/03/1988 till:31/03/1988 text:March

from:01/04/1988 till:30/04/1988 text:April

from:01/05/1988 till:31/05/1988 text:May

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text:"(For further details, please see"

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text:"scales)"

Systems

= Tropical Low Ariny =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=6 December

|Dissipated=9 December (Exited basin)

|Track=Ariny 1987 path.png

|Image=

|10-min winds=30

|1-min winds=

|Pressure=

}}Ariny was a weak tropical cyclone and did not affect land.{{clear}}

= Tropical Cyclone Agi =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=6 January (Entered basin)

|Dissipated=14 January (Exited basin)

|Track=Agi 1988 path.png

|Image=Agi Jan 13 1988 0300Z.png

|10-min winds=50

|1-min winds=70

|Pressure=980

}}

Cyclone Agi veered away from the main islands of Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province after flattening many buildings, uprooting trees and disrupting water supplies. Agi brought heavy rain, high tides and winds gusting at more than 100 km/h to the remote islands it brushed at the eastern tip of the PNG mainland since it formed and began to swirl through the area on Sunday.

= Severe Tropical Cyclone Frederic =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=28 January

|Dissipated=2 February

|Track=Frederic 1988 path.png

|Image=Frederic Feb 1 1988 0107Z.png

|10-min winds=80

|1-min winds=65

|Pressure=955

}}

Frederic stayed at sea.

= Severe Tropical Cyclone Gwenda-Ezenina =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=6 February

|Dissipated=12 February (Exited basin)

|Track=Gwenda-Ezenina 1988 path.png

|Image=Gwenda Feb 11 1988 0940Z.png

|10-min winds=100

|1-min winds=90

|Pressure=941

}}

Gwenda stayed at sea and entered the South-West Indian Ocean basin on 12 February and was renamed as Ezezina.

= Severe Tropical Cyclone Charlie =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=19 February

|Dissipated=1 March

|Track=Charlie 1988 path.png

|Image=Charlie Feb 29 1988 0621Z.png

|10-min winds=80

|1-min winds=65

|Pressure=972

}}

Early on 21 February, a tropical low formed over the Coral Sea. The system was upgraded to a tropical cyclone at 18:00 UTC on 22 February, given the name Charlie. Charlie continued to strengthen for around a day while turning towards the south, however began to weaken soon after. Following a period of slight weakening, Charlie maintained its intensity and slowly moved towards the west. Early on 27 February, Charlie began to intensify once again, continuing its westerly movement until 36 hours later, when it turned towards the south. Charlie made its first landfall near Cape Bowling Green and reached its peak intensity as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone during 29 February and later made its second landfall, in Upstart Bay. The cyclone weakened rapidly over land and dissipated on 1 March.{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/charlie.shtml|publisher=BOM|title=Tropical Cyclone Charlie|accessdate=2022-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207225349/http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/charlie.shtml|archive-date=2022-02-07}}

As Charlie made landfall in a sparsely populated area, structural damage was minimal, however significant crop damage occurred, amounting to $15 million (1990 AUD).{{cite web|url=http://hardenup.org/be-aware/weather-events/events/1980-1989/cyclone-charlie.aspx|publisher=HardenUp|title=Cyclone Charlie|accessdate=2022-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330002606/http://hardenup.org/be-aware/weather-events/events/1980-1989/cyclone-charlie.aspx|archive-date=2022-03-30}}

= Tropical Cyclone Herbie =

{{Infobox hurricane small

|Basin=Aus

|Formed=17 May

|Dissipated=21 May

|Image=Tropical Cyclone Herbie 1988.jpg

|Track=Herbie 1988 track.png

|10-min winds=40

|1-min winds=35

|Pressure=990

}}

Herbie made landfall in Western Australia on 20 May, making it the only tropical cyclone to hit the state in May, it caused $15.6 million in damages, and was later retired, though it did not cause any fatalities.