Cyclone Guba - Meteorological History

Meteorological History

The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in Brisbane began issuing warnings on a developing tropical low located near the southern Papua New Guinea mainland on November 13, 2007, while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the storm. Later that day, the JTWC issued its first advisory, designating the low as Tropical Cyclone 02P. 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 boy's 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.