Cyclone Hamish (2009)
| Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 4 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Hamish near peak intensity on 7 March
|
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| Formed | 4 March 2009 |
| Dissipated | 14 March 2009 |
| (Remnant low after 11 March) | |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 215 km/h (130 mph) 1-minute sustained: 250 km/h (155 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 924 hPa (mbar); 27.29 inHg |
| Fatalities | 2 direct |
| Damage | $46 million (2009 USD) |
| Areas affected | Queensland |
| Part of the 2008–09 Australian region cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish was a very powerful tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage to the Great Barrier Reef and coastal Queensland, Australia, in March 2009. The eighth named storm of the 2008–09 Australian region cyclone season, Hamish developed out of an area of low pressure on 4 March near the Cape York Peninsula. The storm rapidly developed into a Category 1 cyclone on the Australian intensity scale the next day. On 6 March, an eye developed and Hamish strengthened into a Category 3 cyclone. Deep convection formed around the eye, fuelling further intensification which allowed the storm to become a Category 5 tropical cyclone late on 7 March.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish was first identified on 4 March 2009 by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) as a tropical low over the Coral Sea. Drifting westward, the system steadily became better defined, developing convective banding features later that day. Situated in an area favouring tropical cyclone development, characterised by warm waters, low wind shear and upper-level diffluence, the low was able to quickly strengthen. The following day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert as convection wrapped around the centre of circulation and an anticyclone developed over the system, allowing for good outflow. Hours later, the BoM classified the low as Tropical Cyclone Hamish as the storm began to moved southward in response to a mid-level ridge situated to the east. Shortly thereafter, the JTWC also began monitoring Hamish as a tropical storm.
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