Tropical Cyclone Ingrid

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: March 10, 2005, 12:00:00 PM

As of 0600 UTC, March 10, Tropical Cyclone Ingrid was located 640 miles east of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Maximum sustained winds were around 75 miles per hour. The storm weakened as it moved over land, across the peninsula of northern Queensland. Ingrid is currently tracking west-southwest and is forecast to strengthen over the next 24 hours as it moves back out to sea over the Gulf of Carpentaria. At one point in its life-cycle, Ingrid reach Category 5 strength, packing winds more powerful than Cyclone Tracy which devastated parts of Darwin more than 30 years ago. Residents throughout the Northern Territory, including the city of Darwin, had been warned to prepare for Ingrid’s arrival. About 700 residents and tourists along a 220-mile stretch of the Queensland coast were evacuated from their homes in preparation. However, Ingrid weakened rapidly to a Category 1 storm just before landfall on the Cape York Peninsula in North Queensland. Gusts of up to 105 mph were reported and Ingrid brought with it a storm surge of about 7 feet. Lockhart River, the town nearest Ingrid’s landfall, escaped with only minor damage, primarily in the form of downed power lines and trees. About 700 residents and tourists along a 220-mile stretch of the Queensland coast were evacuated from their homes prior to Ingrid’s arrival. Five fatalities were reported when a boat capsized off Papua New Guinea’s south coast. Using the latest meteorological information on this storm, the AIR tropical cyclone modeling team has run the Australia tropical cyclone model. Results indicate that insured losses from Ingrid’s first landfall will not be significant. However, the AIR tropical cyclone team continues to monitor this storm as it heads towards a second landfall and will post additional information as necessary.

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Posting Date: March 10, 2005, 12:00:00 PM