35 years ago: 1974 Cyclone Tracy

[HurricaneBill]

Cyclone Tracy

[Macrocane]

Those are some very impressive pictures that prove that small cyclones as Tracy can cause a lot of damage and death. The good thing is that Australia is now better prepared and cyclones though destructive and powerful don't cause so many deaths as in the past, at least that's why it seems to me.

[CrazyC83]

Looks like a classic wind-making storm. Quite reminiscent of Hurricane Charley. It definitely was rapidly deepening at landfall - my guess is that winds were 130 kt at landfall (pressure 943mb).

[jinftl]

Remarkably similar-looking aerial shots of the worst damage...


Cyclone Tracy damage:




Hurricane Andrew damage:

[Derek Ortt]

MUCH smaller than Charley. TS winds only extended out 25NM. Only slightly larger than Marco

Given that the eye was not exactly small and the very small size of the wind field, likely cat 5 for sure, despite the 950mb pressure.

[jinftl]

What factors can contribute to a cyclone...esp one of that intensity....having such a compact wind field? Or is it the other way around...the intensity 'pulled in' the wind field much like when a figure skater pulls in her arms, she spins faster?

MUCH smaller than Charley. TS winds only extended out 25NM. Only slightly larger than Marco

Given that the eye was not exactly small and the very small size of the wind field, likely cat 5 for sure, despite the 950mb pressure.

[Ptarmigan]

A horrible way to spend Christmas, a tropical cyclone comes knocking in. The damage photos remind me of South Florida after Andrew. Tracy is one of the smallest tropical cyclones, once the smallest prior to Tropical Storm Marco. TS winds in Charley extended up to 80 nautical miles (nm), while hurricane force winds extended up to 25 nm.

[RL3AO]

Tracy was incredible. It was basically a thunderstorm with an eye and 130 mph winds.

[HurricaneBill]

Some picture sets I found on Flickr:

User Larpoon: Cyclone Tracy damage

User Will.B.Prosecuted: Cyclone Tracy damage

User GreyAlbatross: Cyclone Tracy damage

User Julieandcoops: Cyclone Tracy damage

[vbhoutex]

Looks like a giant tornado went through Darwin. With winds like that it apparently was just about that. I notice quite a few of the homes were on stilts. As small as Tracy was I would presume there was little if any storm surge associated with this cyclone. Am I correct?

[jinftl]

Believe it or not, Tracy did stir up a surge even though she was so small in size...up to 13 feet in a very small area! From the Australia Met Stats:

Vital Statistics of Cyclone Tracy

Size
Gales extended to about 40 km from centre

Diameter of eye
About 12 km at Darwin

Maximum Wind Gust
217 km/h before anemometer ceased functioning

Central Pressure
950 hectopascals

Storm Surge
1.6 metres measured in harbour, 4 metres estimated at Casuarina Beach

Rainfall
255 mm in 12 hours overnight

Death Toll
65 people

Injuries
145 serious injuries, over 500 with minor injuries

Number of Houses Destroyed
About 70% of houses with serious structural failure

Total Damage Bill
Up to $800 million (1974 $s)
http://www.ntlib.nt.gov.au/tracy/advanc ... Stats.html

Looks like a giant tornado went through Darwin. With winds like that it apparently was just about that. I notice quite a few of the homes were on stilts. As small as Tracy was I would presume there was little if any storm surge associated with this cyclone. Am I correct?

[HurricaneBill]

A power pole that got twisted by Cyclone Tracy.

Probably similar to the one in the last photo I posted. The pole with the roofing wrapped on it.

[CrazyC83]

I'd say the Andrew pics are slightly worse than the Tracy pics.

That 950mb is probably a low estimate since it would be difficult to get a decent estimate of the pressure in such a tiny storm, and the fact it was likely bombing out before landfall meant even an hour makes a huge difference. That makes my guess 943mb for its landfall pressure.

The 217 km/h (~117 kt) gust is definitely a very low estimate. The damage seems more consistent, based on a rapidly strengthening Cat 4, with gusts around 160 kt, which would translate into a sustained wind around 130 kt.

A 943mb pressure in that area normally translates into winds around 100 kt (T5.4), although obviously with such a tiny storm the relationship will be severely skewed.

[Derek Ortt]

the photos from Andrew look worse because the resolution is better

Tracy almost certainly had winds of at least 145KT

As for surge estimates, that may not take into account the waves on top of the surge