Tropical Cyclone Glenda

[Josh Morgerman]

Another very severe cyclone is threatening Australia, this time on the western coast. Cyclone Glenda currently has 140 kt winds and a central pressure of 910 mb-- Cat 5 even on our scale. It is forecast to reach 150 kt before gradually weakening.

Glenda is movig parallel to the coast but is expected to hook in toward land by around 12Z Thursday with winds of 105 kt-- not as strong, but still an intense storm. Fortunately, this area of the NW Australian coast is not densely populated.

Check it out on satellite-- rotating the wrong way, of course:

(Note: I removed the image link, as the content on the source site has expired.)

 

[Josh Morgerman]

The latest forecast has it slowly weakening from its current strength-- 120 kt-- to 100 kt or less at landfall. This is a much less bullish forecast than earlier today.

(Note: I removed the image link, as the content on the source site has expired.)

 

[Josh Morgerman]

As of this morning (USA Eastern time), Glenda's pressure is 920 mb and winds are 120 kt-- a solid Cat 4 (on the American scale). The satellite image above (which dynamically updates) still shows a nicely organized system.

The latest forecast has it weakening to about 90 kt (Cat 2) before crossing the coast tomorrow. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is warning of gusts exceeding 250 kph (135 kt) along the Pilbara coast, near where the center crosses-- however, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center is indicating peak gusts closer to 110 kt at landfall.

 

[Josh Morgerman]

Glenda is now approaching the NW Australian coast with 105 kt winds. The pressure is 930 mb-- impressively low for the Atlantic but less so for this region. (Ambient pressures in this region of the world are generally lower than in the Atlantic-- so that a 930 mb cyclone here generally wouldn't support winds as high as what would be expected in a 930 mb Atlantic hurricane.) Glenda is a Cat 4 on the Australian scale and a Cat 3 on the American Saffir-Simpson scale.

Glenda should cross the coast between Onslow and Dampier, in the vicinity of Mardie, within the next few hours. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warns of gusts as high as 135 kt near the center. Again, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center is less bullish, calling for 95 kt with gusts to 115 kt at landfall.

 

[Jimmy Deguara]

Hi Josh,

Yes it crossed the cost near Karratha but not a direct hit. This part of the coastline has one main road along the coast and basically that's it. Inland it is desert! Very few inhabitants to affect. unlike what Tropical Cyclone Larry did with a direct strike on Innisfail last week.

Michael Bath has set up information and map tracks here:

http://www.australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/index.html

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

es it crossed the cost near Karratha but not a direct hit. This part of the coastline has one main road along the coast and basically that's it. Inland it is desert! Very few inhabitants to affect. unlike what Tropical Cyclone Larry did with a direct strike on Innisfail last week.[/b]

That's amazing....

Aaron

 

[Josh Morgerman]

Hi Josh,

Yes it crossed the cost near Karratha but not a direct hit. This part of the coastline has one main road along the coast and basically that's it. Inland it is desert! Very few inhabitants to affect. unlike what Tropical Cyclone Larry did with a direct strike on Innisfail last week.

Michael Bath has set up information and map tracks here:

http://www.australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/index.html

Regards,

Jimmy Deguara
[/b]

Hey Jimmy, thanks a bunch-- I appreciate the updated info and the cool link!

Glenda making landfall here seems analogous to a hurricane making landfall on South Padre Island in Texas-- there's just nothing there. Are Onslow and Dampier towns? I get the impression from you that perhaps they are highway rest stops.

What is Glenda's landfall intensity? Is it Cat 4, 930 mb, gusts 250 km/hr?

(P.S. I notice the JTWC has Glenda at 105 kt (1-min avg)-- a solid Cat 3 on the American scale.)

 

[Michael Thompson]

There is a link to a video from Karratha on the Aussi Weaterzone Board. I will link to original message so original poster gets credit.


http://www.weatherzone.com.au/cgi-bin/ulti...c;f=15;t=000078

Regards

 

[Josh Morgerman]

There is a link to a video from Karratha on the Aussi Weaterzone Board. I will link to original message so original poster gets credit.
http://www.weatherzone.com.au/cgi-bin/ulti...c;f=15;t=000078

Regards
[/b]

Michael, thanks for sharing this. That's some pretty good wind, considering Karratha was not in the inner core.

 

[Josh Morgerman]

The latest JTWC info (above) has the center of Glenda well inland, pushing into the barren Australian desert, with winds down to 90 kt. The satellite photo (above) illustrates that Glenda is well inland.

Apparently, the center passed right over Onslow (pop. 799): the 10 pm "advice" (i.e., advisory) from the Bureau of Meteorology had Glenda's eye centered right over that town, with a warning to residents to soon expect destructive winds to resume from the opposite direction. At that time the central pressure was 955 mb (filling rapidly) and the advice warned of gusts as high was 105 kt. I haven't see any reports of actual surface obs.

The storm had stalled a bit, but should resume its SSW motion further inland.