Australian East-Coast Cyclones. Part I: Synoptic Overview and Case Study

Holland, G.J., Lynch, A.H. & Leslie, L.M.,

Abstract

The meteorological conditions for the development of Australian east-coast cyclones are described. The main synoptic precursor is a trough (or "dip") in the easterly wind regime over eastern Australia. The cyclones are a mesoscale development which occurs on the coast in this synoptic environment. They form preferentially at night, in the vicinity of a marked low-level baroclinic zone, and just equatorward of a region of enhanced convection resulting from flow over the coastal ranges.

Three different types of east-coast cyclone have been identified. Types 1 and 3 are very small systems which can have lifetimes as short as 16 hours, during which hurricane force winds have been observed to develop. The other, type 2, system, is meso/synoptic-scale cyclone that can bring sustained strong winds and flood rainfall over several days. Because of their intensity, rapid development, and occasional tiny size, these systems are a major forecast problem.