Cyclone Imogen

{{storm path|Imogen 2021 track.png|300px|left}}

On 1 January, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that a tropical low had formed near Groote Eylandt in the western Gulf of Carpentaria, located about {{convert|635|km|mi|abbr=on}} east-southeast of Darwin.{{cite web|date=1 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Outlook for the Northern Region|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/nt/forecasts/tcoutlook.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210101074536/http://www.bom.gov.au/nt/forecasts/tcoutlook.shtml|archive-date=1 January 2021|access-date=1 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} The system was assigned the identifier code 05U by the BOM.{{Cite web|date=2 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Technical Bulletin #1 (06Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210102113902/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|archive-date=2 January 2021|access-date=2 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} Environmental conditions were assessed as being favourable for tropical cyclogenesis, characterised by very warm sea surface temperatures of up to 31 °C (88 °F), low to moderate vertical wind shear and an established poleward outflow channels in the upper levels.{{Cite web|date=1 January 2020|title=Significant Tropical Weather Advisory for the Western and South Pacific Oceans (15Z)|url=https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/abpwweb.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210102044200/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/abpwweb.txt|archive-date=2 January 2021|access-date=2 January 2020|website=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|publisher=Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command}} Flaring convection began to develop around the consolidating low-level circulation centre as the system tracked southeastward over the Gulf of Carpentaria, and at 00:00 UTC on 2 January, the BOM issued a tropical cyclone watch for parts of the northwestern Queensland coast.{{Cite web|date=2 January 2020|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Forecast Track Map #1 (00Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210102042913/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|archive-date=2 January 2021|access-date=2 January 2020|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} The tropical low continued to strengthen as convective rainbands began to wrap into the system's centre, with moist northwesterly cross-equatorial flow from over Indonesia feeding the system in the low to mid troposphere. By 18:00 UTC, vertical wind shear values had decreased further as the tropical low moved underneath an upper-level ridge; however, despite the highly favourable environmental conditions, intensification was limited somewhat by the broad and elongated nature of the low-level circulation center.{{Cite web|date=2 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Technical Bulletin #3 (18Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210102190902/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|archive-date=2 January 2021|access-date=2 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a tropical cyclone formation alert for the system at 20:00 UTC.{{Cite web|date=2 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Formation Alert (20Z)|url=https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh9721web.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103065357/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh9721web.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|publisher=Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command}}

Tropical Low 05U made landfall on the western coast of Mornington Island at around 02:00 UTC on 3 January, with maximum sustained winds near the centre of {{convert|55|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Forecast Track Map #6 (03Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103063021/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} Intensification proceeded as the system re-emerged over the Gulf of Carpentaria a few hours later, with spiral rainbands continuing to develop around the centre of the system and deep convection becoming more concentrated. At 06:00 UTC, the tropical low was upgraded to a Category 1 tropical cyclone by the BOM, and was named Imogen, becoming the first tropical cyclone of the 2020–21 Australian region cyclone season.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Forecast Track Map #7 (06Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103074357/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}}{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Technical Bulletin #5 (06Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103074249/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} At the same time, the JTWC indicated that maximum one-minute sustained winds had increased to {{convert|65|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, making Imogen equivalent to a tropical storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Warning #1 (06Z)|url=https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0921web.txt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103080220/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0921web.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|publisher=Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command}} In combination with the low-level northwesterly flow, an upper-tropospheric trough situated to the south of the system began to gradually accelerate Imogen towards the southeast. Deep convection continued to concentrate over the centre of the cyclone; however, due to the system's proximity to land, limited time was available for further intensification.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Technical Bulletin #6 (12Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103143059/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} Tropical Cyclone Imogen made landfall just to the north of Karumba, Queensland, at 11:00 UTC on 3 January.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Forecast Track Map #9 (12Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103130533/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml?action=purge|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}}{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Technical Bulletin #7 (18Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103193324/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ20018.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} At the time of landfall, maximum 10-minute sustained winds were estimated at {{convert|65|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, with gusts to {{convert|100|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and a minimum atmospheric pressure of 994 hPa (29.35 inHg). The JTWC reported that maximum one-minute sustained winds had reached {{convert|85|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} by this time.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Warning #2 (12Z)|url=https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0921web.txt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103195432/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0921web.txt|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|publisher=Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command}}

Despite the centre of the system tracking over land, Imogen maintained its organisation for several hours, assisted by the flat terrain that had been saturated by heavy rainfall generated by the cyclone. The BOM reported that maximum 10-minute sustained winds peaked at {{convert|85|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, with gusts to {{convert|110|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, at 15:00 UTC on 3 January—about four hours after landfall—as the cyclone was passing to the northeast of Normanton.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Tropical Cyclone Imogen Forecast Track Map #10 (15Z)|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103164920/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}} At this time, the automatic weather station at the town's airport recorded a minimum atmospheric pressure of {{convert|989.3|hPa|inHg|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|date=3 January 2021|title=Normanton Airport Weather Observations|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ60801/IDQ60801.94266.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210103203558/http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ60801/IDQ60801.94266.shtml|archive-date=3 January 2021|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}}

Imogen later accelerated North-East before finally dissipating on January 6.http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/imogen21.shtml {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2022}}

The BOM maintained cyclone warnings for the inland Gulf Country including Croydon due to Cyclone Imogen.{{Cite web|url=https://crisis24.garda.com/insights-intelligence/intelligence/risk-alerts/wip1001254232/australia-tropical-cyclone-imogen-makes-landfall-in-northern-queensland-late-jan-3-update-1|title = Australia: Tropical Cyclone Imogen makes landfall in northern Queensland late Jan. 3 /Update 1}}

As Cyclone Imogen blasted portions of north-west Queensland, it left extensive damage behind. It brought extreme torrential rain, massive waves and massive high tides as it made landfall. A house in Queensland shaked nearly 5 hours due to the tropical cyclone. It dumped more than 200 millimetres of rain at many places and left 1400 without power. Normanton Airport recorded 186mm of rain in less than 3 hours.{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-04/tropical-cyclone-imogen-brings-rain-gulf-qld/13029072|title = Queensland's north on alert for flash flooding after cyclone brings heavy falls to region|newspaper = ABC News|date = 3 January 2021}} A resident in Karumba described it as if it was an earthquake. Most of the damage was limited to damages from flooding and several uprooted trees.{{Cite web|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/cyclone-imogen-shakes-queensland-homes-like-an-earthquake-20210104-p56rof.html|title = Cyclone Imogen shakes Queensland homes 'like an earthquake'|date = 4 January 2021}} In Victoria, extreme rain fell over Gippsland and flood warnings was in place.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/05/dangerous-flooding-in-wake-of-cyclone-imogen-for-north-queensland-as-heavy-rains-lash-victoria-and-nsw|title = Dangerous flooding in wake of Cyclone Imogen for north Queensland as heavy rains lash Victoria and NSW|website = TheGuardian.com|date = 5 January 2021}} The cyclone caused at least $10 million of damages.{{Cite web|url=http://thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com//Documents/20210209_analytics-if-january-global-recap.pdf|title=Global Catastrophe Recap 2021|website=AON Benfield|access-date=14 February 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121125642/http://thoughtleadership.aon.com/documents/20210209_analytics-if-january-global-recap.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2021}}

• Tropical cyclones in 2021
• Cyclone Damien
• Cyclone Ita

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• [http://www.bom.gov.au/?ref=hdr/ Bureau of Meteorology]

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{{Category 2 Australian region tropical cyclones}}

Category:2021 in Australia

Imogen

Imogen

Category:Category 2 Australian region cyclones