Cyclone Graham
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Aus scale) | |
|---|---|
| Tropical storm (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Graham
|
|
| Formed | 27 February 2003 |
| Dissipated | 1 March 2003 |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 75 km/h (45 mph) 1-minute sustained: 75 km/h (45 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 hPa (mbar); 29.09 inHg |
| Fatalities | 1 total |
| Areas affected | Western Australia |
| Part of the 2002–03 Australian region cyclone season | |
Cyclone Graham of the 2002–03 Australian region cyclone season was a weak tropical storm that affected Australia during late February and early March 2003. Graham originated from an area of convection that emerged onto water after sitting over Australia on 23 February. The interaction with a monsoon trough formed an area of low pressure that developed into Tropical Cyclone Graham on 27 February. The storm moved slowly to the east-southeast, and after turning to the south it peaked as a tropical storm and made landfall on Western Australia the next day. The cyclone weakened as it moved inland, and dissipated on 1 March. The storm dropped heavy rainfall and caused high winds, which produced flooding and downed trees. One fatality occurred, though no significant damages were reported.
On 23 February 2003, an area of convection that was situated over land for roughly a week emerged over open waters along the northern coast of Australia. The strengthening of a deep, persistent monsoon trough contributed to cyclogenesis, and a low pressure area formed. By 25 February, the low developed a banding feature in which the highest winds were located. Though the storm was located in an area of unfavorable wind shear, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) began to issue gale warnings on the system at 0100 UTC the next day, while the low was located several hundred miles north-northeast of Port Hedland. The disturbance was initially nearly stationary as it showed signs of organization due to relaxed shear, and at 0700 UTC on 27 February, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) designated the storm as Tropical Cyclone Graham, as it had attained 80 km/h (50 mph) 10-minute maximum sustained winds. The first warning was issued on Graham later that day.
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