View source for Cyclone Vance

{{Short description|Category 5 Australian region cyclone in 1999}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox weather event
| name = Severe Tropical Cyclone Vance
| image = Cyclone Vance 20 mar 1999 2257Z.jpg
| caption = Vance nearing Western Australia at peak intensity on 20 March
| formed = 16 March 1999
| extratropical = 23 March 1999
| dissipated = 23 March 1999
}}{{Infobox weather event/BOM
| winds = 120
| pressure = 910
}}{{Infobox weather event/JTWC
| winds = 125
| pressure = 
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| year = 1999
| fatalities = None
| damage = 100000000
| areas = {{hlist|[[Northern Territory]]|[[Western Australia]]|[[South Australia]]|[[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]|[[Tasmania]]}}
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[1998–99 Australian region cyclone season]]
}}
'''Severe Tropical Cyclone Vance''' was a [[tropical cyclone]] that struck [[Western Australia]] during the active [[1998–99 Australian region cyclone season]], and was also one of six tropical cyclones to form off the coast of [[Australia]] during that season. When making landfall the Learmonth Meteorological Office (35&nbsp;km south of Exmouth) recorded the highest Australian wind gust of {{convert|267|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref name="bom pdf">[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]] [http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/sevwx/vance.pdf Tropical Cyclone Vance in Review]. March 2000. URL Accessed: 30 December 2006</ref> The previous highest gust was {{convert|259|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} at nearby [[Mardie Station|Mardie]] during [[1974–75 Australian region cyclone season#Severe Tropical Cyclone Trixie|Cyclone Trixie]].<ref name="bom">[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]] [http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/sevwx/vance.shtml BoM Report on Vance]. March 2000. URL Accessed: 19 July 2006</ref> This record was surpassed in 2010 after a world record wind-gust of {{convert|408|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} at Barrow Island during [[Cyclone Olivia]] in 1996 was declared official by the World Meteorological Organisation.

Forming on 19 March 1999, in the [[Timor Sea]], Vance then curved west-southwest where it recurved and struck the [[Gascoyne region of Western Australia|Gascoyne]] and [[Pilbara region of Western Australia|Pilbara]] coasts of [[Western Australia]] on 22 March as a Category&nbsp;5 cyclone on the [[Tropical cyclone scales#Australia|Australian scale]] and dissipating the following day.

Vance caused severe damage across the western coast of [[Australia]]. The hardest hit town was [[Exmouth, Western Australia|Exmouth]] where 70 percent of the buildings sustained severe damage. However, because of advance warnings there were no reports of fatalities.<ref name="bom"/> Damage totaled AU 100,000,000 (1999&nbsp;USD).<ref name="ncdc">[[National Climatic Data Center|NCDC]] (1999) [http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/1999/march/rapidres0399.html NCDC Impact Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621171828/http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/1999/march/rapidres0399.html |date=2006-06-21 }} URL Accessed: 21 July 2006</ref>

==Meteorological history==
{{storm path|Vance 1999 track.png}}
An area of low pressure formed on 16 March, six hundred miles northwest of [[Darwin, Australia]]. The storm then quickly reached tropical depression strength as it curved over the [[Northern Territory]] causing no damage.<ref name="unisys">[http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/s_indian/1999/30/track.gif Unisys Track of Vance] URL Accessed: 19 July 2006</ref> On 18 March, the tropical depression intensified and became Tropical Storm Vance {{convert|325|mi|km|disp=flip|abbr=on}} west of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]].

Interacting with a subtropical ridge, the storm moved westward and then southwestward where it reached [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 1]] cyclone status on the 19th. The cyclone then continued southwestward, strengthening to a Category&nbsp;5 storm overnight on 20 March with gusts of more than {{convert|280|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} winds. Vance reached a pressure of 910&nbsp;millibars ([[Pascal (unit)|hPa]]) before curving to the south, heading towards the [[Exmouth Gulf]].<ref name="bom pdf"/>

Vance then made landfall near [[Exmouth, Western Australia|Exmouth]] on 22 March as a strong [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 4]] cyclone. Moving inland, the cyclone then turned a more south-southeasterly direction as before weakening to tropical storm status. Vance then became [[Extratropical cyclone|extratropical]] the next day, with its extratropical remnants producing gale force winds that affected [[South Australia]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[Tasmania]].<ref name="unisys"/><ref name="mgt">[http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1999/summ9903.txt Gary Padgett report on Vance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629233317/http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/1999/summ9903.txt |date=2006-06-29 }} URL Accessed: 19 July 2006</ref>

==Preparations==
Hundreds of people evacuated and authorities closed several roads. In addition, forecasters issued a red alert for the towns of [[Karratha, Western Australia|Karratha]], [[Onslow, Western Australia|Onslow]] and Exmouth as the cyclone was predicted to bring strong damaging winds to that area while the areas south of the red alert warning area were put under a yellow alert or tropical storm warning. On the 22nd, forecasters predicted that Vance would make landfall between Onslow and Exmouth.<ref name="ncdc"/><ref name="s">Smith, Carl "[http://cyclones.www9.50megs.com/1999/tale2tcs.htm A Tale of Two Cyclones] URL Accessed: 21 July 2006</ref>

==Impact==
{{Most intense Australian cyclones}}
The Learmonth Meteorological Office recorded a record gust of {{convert|267|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and a pressure of 937&nbsp;millibars. At [[Onslow, Western Australia|Onslow]], a weather station reported winds gusting to {{convert|182|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and a barometric pressure of 978&nbsp;millibars. A [[storm surge]] of {{convert|3.6|m|ft|abbr=off}} was reported in [[Exmouth, Western Australia|Exmouth]]. The surge caused severe [[coastal erosion|beach erosion]] and sunk or damaged several [[barge]]s. Wind damage in Exmouth was severe, as the storm destroyed over 110 homes and damaged over 220 others. In Onslow, the storm surge flooded several houses. Vance dropped {{convert|100|-|150|mm|in|abbr=on}} of rain over Western Australia. Some areas in the storm's impact reported rainfall totals of {{convert|200|-|300|mm|in|abbr=on}}. The heavy rain brought by Vance caused severe [[flash flood|flash-flooding]] that knocked out [[electricity|power]] and communications. Elsewhere, floodwaters washed out several roads and affected areas already impacted by [[1998–99 Australian region cyclone season#Severe Tropical Cyclone Elaine|Cyclone Elaine]] days earlier. The remnants of Vance produced [[Beaufort scale|gale-force winds]] that caused a [[dust storm]] that struck [[Adelaide]] for several hours with visibility down to a few meters, and knocked down powerlines in [[Melbourne]], leaving 50,000&nbsp;people without power.<ref name="bom"/><ref name="mgt"/><ref name="s"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Cyclone Vance}}

{{1998–99 Australian region cyclone season buttons}}
{{Retired Australian cyclones}}
{{Category 5 Australian region tropical cyclones}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vance (1999)}}
[[Category:1998–99 Australian region cyclone season]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in Western Australia]]
[[Category:1999 in Australia|Cyclone Vance]]
[[Category:Retired Australian region cyclones]]
[[Category:Category 5 Australian region cyclones]]
[[Category:1990s in Western Australia]]