1974–75 Australian region cyclone season#Severe Tropical Cyclone Selma

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Marcia 1974 track.png

|Image=MarcieSep191974.gif

|Formed=October 17

|Dissipated=October 25

|10-min winds=50

|1-min winds=50

|Pressure=988

}}

The first named storm of the season developed as a small depression out over the open waters of the southern Indian Ocean. Over the following three days, the system gradually developed into a tropical cyclone as it tracked towards the southeast. On 18 October, a ship named Alkuwait encountered the storm and reported winds near hurricane-force; however, the satellite presentation of the system was not supportive of these winds. Later named Marcia, the storm is estimated to have attained peak winds around {{convert|85|km/h|mph|abbr=on|round=5}} on 20 October.{{cite web|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|year=2011|access-date=3 February 2011|title=Tropical Cyclone Marcia|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/marcia74.shtml}} Around this time Marcia also attained a barometric pressure of 989 mbar (hPa; 29.2 inHg).{{cite web|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|year=2011|access-date=3 February 2011|title=Tropical Cyclone Marcia 1974 Track|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/tmp/aus197419741.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110411015533/http://www.bom.gov.au/tmp/aus197419741.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2011}} The following day, as the storm was situated {{convert|320|km|mi|abbr=on}} west-southwest of the Cocos Islands, the outer bands of Marcia brought unsettled weather to the islands. On 22 October, the storm slowed and began tracking towards the west. A weakened system, the remnants of Marcia crossed 90°E into the South-West Indian Ocean basin.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Norah 1974 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=October 28

|Dissipated=November 4

|10-min winds=55

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=981

}}

Cyclone Norah existed over the eastern Indian Ocean from October 28 to November 4.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Penny 1974 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=November 6

|Dissipated=November 16

|10-min winds=60

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=981

}}

Cyclone Penny also existed over the eastern Indian Ocean from November 6 to November 16.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Selma 1974 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=December 1

|Dissipated=December 9

|10-min winds=70

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=980

}}

Cyclone Selma was predicted to impact Darwin, but instead, the system turned westward out to sea and eventually dissipated over open water.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Tracy 1974 track.png

|Image=Cyclone Tracy 25 December 1974 ESSA-8.png

|Formed=December 21

|Dissipated=December 26

|1-min winds=110

|10-min winds=95

|Pressure=950

}}

{{Main|Cyclone Tracy}}

Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974. It is the most compact cyclone or equivalent-strength hurricane on record in the Australian basin, with gale-force winds extending only {{convert|48|km|mi}} from the centre and was the most compact system worldwide until Tropical Storm Marco of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season broke the record, with gale-force winds extending only {{convert|19|km|mi}} from the centre.{{cite web | url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E5.html | title=FAQ : HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, AND TROPICAL CYCLONES | publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|work=Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory|date=29 May 2009 | access-date=29 May 2009}}{{cite web | url=http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/tropics/tc_structure.htm | title=Tropical Cyclone Structure | publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | work=JetStream | date=19 October 2005 | access-date=24 March 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603061050/http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/tropics/tc_structure.htm | archive-date=2013-06-03 | url-status=dead }} After forming over the Arafura Sea, the storm moved southwards and affected the city with Category 4 winds on the Australian cyclone intensity scale, while there is evidence to suggest that it had reached Category 3 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale when it made landfall.{{cite web |url=ftp://eclipse.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/ibtracs/v01cor-r01/ibtracs_tape/SouthernHemisphere.ibtracs.v01cor-r01.tape |title=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (HURDAT format) |access-date=29 December 2008 |work=ncdc.noaa.gov |publisher=National Climatic Data Center}}

Tracy killed 71 people, caused {{AUD}}837 million in damage (1974 dollars) and destroyed more than 70 percent of Darwin's buildings, including 80 percent of houses.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1326359.htm|title=NT coroner hands down finding on Cyclone Tracy deaths|work=ABC News|date=18 March 2005|access-date=24 March 2006}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/about/extremes.shtml|title=Tropical Cyclone Extremes|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology| access-date=19 July 2015}} Tracy left more than 41,000 out of the 47,000 inhabitants of the city homeless prior to landfall and required the evacuation of over 30,000 people.{{cite web|title=Event – Cyclone Tracy |url=http://www.disasters.ema.gov.au/Browse%20Details/DisasterEventDetails.aspx?DisasterEventID=2174 |work=Attorney-General's Department Disasters Database |publisher=Australian Emergency Management Institute |access-date=3 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426001905/http://www.disasters.ema.gov.au/Browse%20Details/DisasterEventDetails.aspx?DisasterEventID=2174 |archive-date=26 April 2012 }} Most of Darwin's population was evacuated to Adelaide, Whyalla, Alice Springs and Sydney, and many never returned to the city. After the storm passed, the city was rebuilt using more modern materials and updated building techniques. Bruce Stannard of The Age stated that Cyclone Tracy was a "disaster of the first magnitude ... without parallel in Australia's history."{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gd9UAAAAIBAJ&dq=disaster%20of%20the%20first%20magnitude%20without%20parallel%20cyclone%20tracy&pg=6901%2C4902676|title=Mr. Whitlam on the spot|last=Stannard|first=Bruce|date=28 December 1974|work=The Age|access-date=30 December 2011}}

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Flora 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=January 12

|Dissipated=January 22

|10-min winds=45

|1-min winds=50

|Pressure=980

}}

Tropical Cyclone Flora existed from January 12 to January 22.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Robyn-Deborah 1975 track.png

|Image=RobynDeborahJanuary241975.gif

|Formed=January 14

|Dissipated=January 16 (Exited basin)

|1-min winds=55

|10-min winds=50

|Pressure= 985

}}

Intense Tropical Cyclone Robyn–Deborah existed from January 14 to January 16, when it moved into the South-West Indian Ocean as Tropical Cyclone Robyn–Deborah.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Gloria 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=January 14

|Dissipated=January 23

|1-min winds=55

|10-min winds=55

|Pressure= 976

}}

Tropical Cyclone Gloria existed from January 14 to January 23.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Shirley 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=February 3

|Dissipated=February 12

|1-min winds=60

|10-min winds=55

|Pressure=981

}}

Tropical Cyclone Shirley existed from February 3 to February 12.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Trixie 1975 track.png

|Image=TrixieFebruary201975.gif

|Formed=February 15

|Dissipated=February 22

|1-min winds=130

|10-min winds=115

|Pressure=925

}}

Wind gusts of {{convert|259|km/h}} at Mardie and {{convert|246|km/h}} at Onslow were measured during cyclone Trixie on 19 February 1975. The Onslow anemometer was destroyed after measuring its maximum gust during this storm. The gust at Mardie is the second-highest recorded on the Australian mainland, although the figure given was the limit of the anemometer, so the actual gusts may have been higher.[http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/onslow.shtml BoM – Tropical Cyclones affecting Onslow]

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Wilma 1975 track.png

|Formed=March 10

|Dissipated=March 14

|10-min winds=60

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=980

}}

Tropical Cyclone Wilma existed from March 10 to March 14.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Vida 1975 track.png

|Formed=March 30

|Dissipated=April 12

|10-min winds=50

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=982

}}

On 20 March 1975 winds were recorded to 128 km/h at Fremantle, Western Australia and 109 km/h in neighbouring Perth. There was some damage including St George's Cathedral and Perry Lakes Stadium. At Rockingham a 7m-yacht sank, a 6m cabin cruiser was destroyed and many other craft were damaged.[http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/perth.shtml BoM – Tropical Cyclones affecting Perth] Near Perth, the remnants of Vida produced strong winds, recorded up to {{convert|126|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, damaged several structures. Some homes lost their roofs and a few buildings had their walls collapse.{{cite web|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|year=2011|access-date=3 February 2011|title=Tropical Cyclone Vida|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/vida.pdf}} Offshore, several vessels were damaged by rough seas.{{cite web|author=Joe Courtney and Miriam Middelmann|publisher=Government of Australia|year=2003|access-date=3 February 2011|title=Meteorological Hazards|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/servlet/BigObjFileManager?bigobjid=GA6525|format=PDF}} Relatively little rain was associated with the storm as only {{convert|17|mm|in|abbr=on}} was measured in Cape Leeuwin. Overall losses from the storm reached A$1 million ($700,000 USD).

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Beverley 1975 track.png

|Image=BeverlylateMarch281975.png

|Formed=March 22

|Dissipated=April 3

|10-min winds=110

|1-min winds=120

|Pressure=929

}}

Tropical cyclone Beverley affected Exmouth, Western Australia and the west coast in March 1975.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Amelia 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=April 6

|Dissipated=April 8

|10-min winds=40

|1-min winds=45

|Pressure=990

}}

Cyclone Amelia existed from April 6 to April 8.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Clara 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=April 20

|Dissipated=April 26

|10-min winds=50

|1-min winds=55

|Pressure=985

}}

Cyclone Clara existed from April 20 to April 26.

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{{Infobox tropical cyclone small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Denise Aus 1975 track.png

|Image=

|Formed=May 18

|Dissipated=May 25

|10-min winds=45

|1-min winds=45

|Pressure=992

}}

Cyclone Denise existed from May 18 to May 25.

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During 19 November, a tropical disturbance was first noted, while it was located within the Australian region about {{convert|500|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the north of Brisbane, Australia.{{cite magazine|date=1976|title=Saison des perturbations tropicales: 1974-1975 dans le pacifique sud-oues|issue=137|pages=43–46|url=http://bibliotheque.meteo.fr/exl-php/docs/ILS_DOC/245006/doc00036393__PDF.txt|journal=Météorologie Maritime|issn=2107-0830|language=fr}}{{cite web|url={{IBTRACS url|id=1974324S24156}}|title=1974 Not Named (1974324S24156)|publisher=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship|access-date=November 5, 2019}} Over the next couple of days, the system moved north-westwards into the South Pacific basin towards New Caledonia, before it recurved south-eastwards and was last noted during 25 November after it had moved back into the Australian region.{{cite web|url={{IBTRACS url|id=1974325S24166}}|title=1974 Tropical Cyclone (Gale) Not Named (1974325S24166)|publisher=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship|access-date=November 5, 2019}}

{{portal|Tropical cyclones}}

• Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1974, 1975
• Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons: 1974, 1975
• Western Pacific typhoon seasons: 1974, 1975
• North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1974, 1975

{{reflist|2}}

{{TC Decades|Year=1970|basin=Australian region|type=cyclone|shem=yes}}

{{Tropical cyclone season|1974|split-year=y}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974-75 Australian region cyclone season}}

Category:Australian region cyclone seasons

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Category:1974 disasters in Australia

Category:{{#expr:{{title year}} +1}} disasters in Australia

Category:1974 disasters in Oceania

Category:{{#expr:{{title year}} +1}} disasters in Oceania