2000–01 Australian region cyclone season

{{main|Cyclone Sam}}

{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Sam 2000-12-08 0900Z.jpg

|Track=Sam 2000 track.png

|Formed=3 December

|Dissipated=10 December

|10-min winds=110

|1-min winds=110

|Pressure=935

}}

Sam originated from a tropical low that formed in the Arafura Sea on 28 November. Tracking generally westward, the initial low-pressure area remained generally weak until it entered the Timor Sea, by which time it had strengthened into a tropical cyclone on 5 December. Though a subtropical ridge was forcing the cyclone westward at the time,{{cite web|title=December, 2000|series=Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary|url=http://www.australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2001/summ0012.htm|publisher=Australiansevereweather.com|access-date=8 August 2013|author=Padgett, Gary|author2=Kersemakers, Mark|author3=Smith, Carl |at=Severe Tropical Cyclone Sam (TC-03S) |date=December 2000}} an approaching shortwave trough caused Sam to track southward the following day, towards the Australian coast.{{cite journal|author2=Bate, Peter W.|title=The South Pacific and southeast Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season 2000-01|journal=Australian Meteorological Magazine|date=November 2002|volume=52|issue=1|pages=33–47|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/docs/2003/chappel.pdf|access-date=8 August 2013|author=Chappel, Lori-Carmen|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|location=Darwin, Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321152406/http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/docs/2003/chappel.pdf|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite report|title=Severe Tropical Cyclone Sam|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/sam.pdf|work=Bureau of Meteorology Tropical Cyclone Report|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=8 August 2013|author=Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre|location=Perth, Australia}} During its southward progression, Sam rapidly intensified, and reached its peak intensity on 7 December. The next day, the storm made landfall near Lagrange, Western Australia at the same intensity.{{cite report|title=Annual Tropical Cyclone Report For 2001|url=http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/2001atcr.pdf|work=Annual Tropical Cyclone Report|publisher=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|access-date=8 August 2013|author=United States Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center|location=Pearl Harbor, Hawaii|pages=199–200, 258, 306|year=2001|archive-date=21 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221082204/http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/2001atcr.pdf|url-status=dead}} Once inland, Sam was slow to weaken as it recurved eastward, and persisted for nearly a week inland before dissipating on 14 December.

Throughout its existence, Cyclone Sam brought heavy rainfall to a wide swath of northern Australia. Rainfall peaked at{{convert|520|mm|in|abbr=on}} in Shelamar over a 48-hour period ending on 11 December. Upon making landfall, damage was considerable, albeit localized. Most of the destruction wrought by Sam occurred near the coast, particularly in Bidyadanga and Anna Springs Station.{{cite news|title=Cyclone Sam Lashes Australia Coast|url=https://apnews.com/480f6b8763c0c883897b8793f13f37e1|access-date=9 August 2013|date=8 December 2000|work=Associated Press News|location=Perth, Australia}} Some buildings sustained considerable damage, and trees and power lines were felled, resulting in some power outages. Offshore, 163 illegal immigrants aboard two vessels were feared to have drowned, which would make Sam one of the deadliest cyclones in Australian history.{{cite news|title=163 Feared Dead in Australian Boat Tragedy|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81937&page=1|access-date=9 August 2013|date=13 December 2000|agency=American Broadcasting Channel|location=Canberra, Australia}} However, these people were later accounted for.{{cite news|title=Missing refugees alive, says Ruddock|date=4 January 2001|author=Fyfe, Melissa|location=Melbourne, Australia|newspaper=The Age}} {{subscription required}}

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Track=Terri 2001 track.png

|Image=Terri 2001-01-30 0230Z.jpg

|Formed=27 January

|Dissipated=31 January

|10-min winds=60

|1-min winds=50

|Pressure=975

}}

Terri formed on 27 January 2001 near the northern Kimberley coast. The storm paralleled the coast, reaching Category 2 strength before making landfall near Pardoo early on 31 January. The storm dissipated Late on the same day.{{cite web|title=Season 2000-2001 Tropical Cyclone TERRI Track Map |url=http://australiasevereweather.com/tropical_cyclones/2000_2001/oper/tropical_cyclone_terri.htm|publisher=australiasevereweather.com|access-date=19 October 2010}}

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Vincent 2001-02-11 0250Z.jpg

|Track=Vincent 2001 track.png

|Formed=7 February

|Dissipated=15 February

|10-min winds=45

|1-min winds=35

|Pressure=980

}}

Cyclone Vincent formed on 7 February 2001, 900 km northwest of Onslow, Western Australia from an active monsoonal trough. Wind shear prevented the tropical low from intensifying for a few days, but once the storm formed it began to move southeast and intensify. Vincent peaked with sustained winds of {{convert|55|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} which made it a Category 2 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Cyclone Vincent crossed the Western Australia coast as a tropical low, a few kilometres south of Broome, Western Australia.{{cite report|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|title=Tropical Cyclone Vincent|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/vincent.pdf|access-date=26 May 2022}}

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Winsome 2001-02-11 0115Z.jpg

|Track=Winsome 2001 track.png

|Formed=8 February

|Dissipated=14 February

|10-min winds=40

|1-min winds=40

|Pressure=981

}}

Winsome was a weak system that developed from a low in the Gulf of Carpentaria on 8 February.

Torrential rains produced by the storm in the Northern Territory resulted in severe flooding which killed two people.{{cite news|author=James Wakelin and Alice Burton|work=Northern Territory News|date=14 February 2001|title=Storm chaos: 2 feared dead; High winds lash Top End}}

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Wylva 2001-02-16 0130Z.jpg

|Track=Wylva 2001 track.png

|Formed=14 February

|Dissipated=22 February

|1-min winds=35

|10-min winds=40

|Pressure=988

}}

Wylva formed from a low in the Gulf of Carpentaria on 15 February. Wylva briefly became a Category 1 tropical cyclone before making landfall near Booroloola in the morning of 16 February. Even though the system made landfall in a remote area, the remnants of the system caused $13 million in damage and around 700 people had to be evacuated. The remnants of Wylva dissipated on 22 February near Nanutarra.

{{Clear}}

{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=10P 2001-02-15 2355Z.jpg

|Track=10-P 2001 track.png

|Formed=16 February

|Dissipated=16 February (exited basin)

|10-min winds=30

|1-min winds=25

|Pressure=1000

}}

This storm moved from Brisbane's area of responsibility into Fiji's on 16 February. It dissipated on 18 February.

{{Clear}}

{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Abigail Feb 27 2001 1115Z.jpg

|Track=Abigail 2001 track.png

|Formed=24 February

|Dissipated=8 March

|10-min winds=65

|1-min winds=60

|Pressure=970

}}

On 24 February 2001, Cyclone Abigail formed about 80 km northeast of Cairns, Australia. It then made landfall in Queensland as a Category 1 storm.

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Walter 2001-04-04 0350Z.jpg

|Track=Walter 2001 track.png

|Formed=1 April

|Dissipated=8 April

|10-min winds=80

|1-min winds=90

|Pressure=940

}}

Walter was a storm that formed east of Christmas Island and tracked westward at a low latitude.

On 3 April, Cocos Island was placed under a cyclone watch as Walter approached the island.{{cite news|date=4 April 2001|title=Cocos Cyclone|page=34|work=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide}} Throughout 5 April, heavy rains and high winds, estimated up to {{convert|90|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} battered the area as Walter passed by the island.{{cite news|work=The Daily Telegraph|page=17|date=6 April 2001|title=Cyclone Walter hits Cocos}}

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{{Infobox Hurricane Small

|Basin=Aus

|Image=Alistair apr 18 2001 0539Z.jpg

|Track=Alistair 2001 track.png

|Formed=15 April

|Dissipated=23 April

|10-min winds=60

|1-min winds=65

|Pressure=975

}}

The second most damaging cyclone of the 2000–01 cyclone season, Alistair made landfall close to Carnarvon on 24 April 2001 as a poorly organized cyclone. The centre passed just to the north of town with a wind gust to 67 kilometres per hour from the northeast recorded at 4:11 am. Minimum pressure of 1002.9 hPa was recorded at 5 am, followed by the peak recorded wind gust of 90 kilometres per hour from the southeast at 6 am. A total of 24 mm of rainfall was reported in Carnarvon. Plantations to the north of Carnarvon reported 30-40% crop losses, with wind estimates of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour.{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wa/2001.shtml|title=Western Australia Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 2000–01|publisher=Bom.gov.au |access-date=2012-08-17}}

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On 28 November, a tropical low formed near Christmas Island. Moving southeastward, the low was last noted to the south-southwest of Jakarta on 30 November.

On 4 December, the TCWC Brisbane reported that a tropical low formed near the tip of the Cape York Peninsula. Moving southwestward, the primary responsibility of the tropical low was passed to the TCWC Darwin from TCWC Brisbane as the low made landfall near Alyangula. It was last noted on 6 December.

On 7 January, the TCWC Darwin reported that a tropical low developed to the north-northwest of Tiwi Islands. The low slowly moved to the south-southwest, before it was last noted while inland, near Katherine.

Another tropical low formed on 16 March near Christmas Island. Wind shear prevented further intensification, and it dissipated the next day.

On 4 April, a weak tropical low formed to the north of Nhulunbuy. It was last seen the next day.

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TCWC Perth

• Sam
• Terri
• Vincent
• Walter

TCWC Darwin

• Winsome
• Alistair

TCWC Brisbane

• Wylva
• Abigail

The Bureau of Meteorology would later retire the names Sam and Abigail, replacing them with Sean and Anika respectively. Anika was first used in 2008 with Sean following later in 2010.

This is a table of all of the storms that have formed in the 2000–01 Australian region cyclone season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s)–denoted by bold location names – damages, and death totals. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 2001 AUD and USD.

{{Pacific areas affected (Top)}}

|-

| Sam || {{sort|1203|3–10 December}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A5}}|Category 5 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A5}}|{{Sort|205|205 km/h (125 mph)}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A5}}|{{Sort|0935|935 hPa (27.61 inHg)}} || Western Australia || Minor || None ||

|-

| Terri || {{Sort|20000128|28 January – 1 February}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|60|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|975|hPa|inHg|sigfig=4|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || Western Australia || {{sort|0|None}} || {{sort|0|None}} ||{{cite report|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|title=Tropical Cyclone Terri|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/terri.pdf|access-date=31 May 2022}}

|-

| Vincent || {{Sort|20010212|12 – 15 February}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|55|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|980|hPa|inHg|sigfig=4|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || Western Australia || {{sort|0|None}} || {{sort|0|None}} ||

|-

| Winsome || {{Sort|20010208|8 – 14 February}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|Category 1 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|{{convert|40|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|{{convert|981|hPa|inHg|sigfig=4|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || Northern Territory || {{ntsp|1000000||AU$}} || {{nts|1}} ||{{cite web|publisher=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship|url={{IBTRACS url|id=2001039S11139}}|access-date=25 May 2022|title=2001 Tropical Cyclone Winsome (2001039S11139)}}{{cite report|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|title=Tropical Cyclone Winsome|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/winsome.shtml|access-date=26 May 2022}}

|-

| Wylva || {{sort|20010215|15 – 22 February}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|Category 1 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|{{convert|40|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A1}}|{{convert|988|hPa|inHg|sigfig=4|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || Northern Australia || {{ntsp|13000000||AU$}} || {{sort|1|Unknown}} ||{{cite web|publisher=International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship|url={{IBTRACS url|id=2001045S14142}}|access-date=25 May 2022|title=2001 Tropical Cyclone Wylva (2001045S14142)}}{{cite report|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|title=Tropical Cyclone Wylva|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/wylva.shtml|access-date=26 May 2022}}

|-

| 10P || {{sort|0216|16–16 February}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|TD}}|Tropical Low || bgcolor=#{{storm color|TD}}|{{Sort|055|55 km/h (35 mph)}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|TD}}|{{Sort|1000|1000 hPa (29.53 inHg)}} || None || None || None ||

|-

| Abigail || {{sort|0224|24 February – 8 March}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|{{Sort|120|120 km/h (75 mph)}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|{{Sort|0970|970 hPa (28.64 inHg)}} || Queensland, Northern Territory,
Western Australia || None || None ||

|-

| Walter || {{sort|0401|1–8 April}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|{{Sort|150|150 km/h (90 mph)}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A3}}|{{Sort|0940|940 hPa (27.75 inHg)}} || Cocos Islands || None || None ||

|-

| Alistair || {{Sort|20010414|14 – 24 April}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{sort|3|Category 2 tropical cyclone}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|60|kn|km/h mph|round=5|order=out|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || bgcolor=#{{storm color|A2}}|{{convert|975|hPa|inHg|sigfig=4|abbr=on|sortable=on}} || Northern Territory, Western Australia || {{sort|1|Minor}} || {{sort|0|None}} ||{{cite report|title=Tropical Cyclone Alistair|date=11 June 2009|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/pdf/alistair.pdf|access-date=31 May 2022}}

|-

{{AUS TC Areas affected (Bottom)|TC's=9 systems|dates=3 December –
23 April|winds=205 km/h (125 mph)|pres=935 hPa (27.61 inHg)|AUD damage=${{ntsp|13000000}}|USD damage=${{ntsp|12800000}}|deaths=2|Refs=}}