Cyclone Guba

Severe Tropical Cyclone Guba

Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale)
Category 1 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Cyclone Guba near Papua New Guinea on November 15
Formed	November 12, 2007
Dissipated	November 20, 2007
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph) 1-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph) Gusts: 175 km/h (110 mph)
Lowest pressure	970 hPa (mbar); 28.64 inHg
Fatalities	149 total
Damage	$71.4 million (2007 USD)
Areas affected	Papua New Guinea
Part of the 2007–08 Australian region cyclone season

Cyclone Guba (JTWC designation: 02P, also known as Severe Tropical Cyclone Guba) was a tropical cyclone that resulted in 149 fatalities and severe damage across southeastern Papua New Guinea. The firstly-named cyclone of the 2007–08 Australian region cyclone season, Guba formed on November 13, 2007 close to the island of New Guinea, and reached tropical cyclone intensity the next day by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in Brisbane, with the TCWC in Port Moresby assigning the name Guba. It meandered in the northern Coral Sea for the next week, strengthening to a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on November 16. It posed a threat to the Australian Cape York Peninsula, but remained offshore, and finally dissipated on November 20.

On November 12, a weak tropical low developed within the Solomon Sea, near the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain. During that day, the system's low level circulation centre drifted south-westwards, within an area favourable for further development, with low vertical wind shear and a good outflow. However, the disturbance could not significantly develop further at this time, as it was interacting with New Guinea. The system subsequently either passed near or over the south-eastern tip of New Guinea and moved into the north-western Coral Sea, where it quickly developed further with the aid of a south-easterly wind surge. As a result, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 02P during October 13. The Au

TCWC Brisbane initiated tropical cyclone advices on the tropical low early on November 14, with a cyclone watch declared for the northern coastal and island communities in the Cape York Peninsula. Shortly after, TCWC Brisbane upgraded the system to Tropical Cyclone Guba, a name assigned by the TCWC in Port Moresby. The name Guba is a masculine name in Papua New Guinea meaning 'a rain squall on the sea'. Guba drifted erratically off the Queensland coast for the next two days, and cyclone warnings were cancelled when TCWC Brisbane expected the cyclone to remain slow-moving. Guba began drifting southwards and intensified on November 16, becoming a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone. Guba was a small, but intense system, forming a well-defined eye. Guba began weakening on November 17 and was downgraded to a Category 2. After downgraded to a Category 1 cyclone on November 18, it started to accelerate to the west towards the Queensland coast. Cyclone watches and warnings were declared again on November 19 as the cyclone was expected to move closer to the coast and intensify. This did not materialise, however, as Guba then turned northwards later that day, avoiding the Australian mainland, then northeast while it continued to weaken. TCWC Brisbane downgraded Guba below tropical cyclone strength, and issued its last advisory early on November 20.