Cyclone Monica - Aftermath and Records

Aftermath and Records

The Queensland Government State Disaster Management Group dispatched relief helicopters to remote communities for evacuation of people in flood zones and transport of relief workers. Relief efforts were already underway in relation to Cyclone Larry which caused significant damage in Queensland. The Government of Australia assisted affected business by providing disaster loans up to A$25,000 for severely impacted areas and A$10,000 for less affected areas. Farmers were also provided with up to $200,000 in loans over a period of nine years. Following the impacts in the Northern Territory, two cleanup teams were dispatched from Darwin to assist in cleanup efforts in the hardest hit regions. In a study of the Arnhem forests which were devastated by the cyclone, environmentalists reported that it would take over 100 years for the forest to recover. The storm's winds snapped numerous trees, estimated to have been over 200 years old and more than 60 cm (23.6 in) in diameter. It is estimated that it would take several hundred years before trees of similar sizes would flourish in the region. Despite the minimal damage caused by Monica, the name was retired from the circulating lists of tropical cyclone names for the Australian Region.

Within weeks of the storm, the Alligator Rivers Region Advisory Committee began planting seedlings in deforested areas. By August 2006, a review of the growth of the new plants found that 81% to 88% of the seeds had survived and begun growing. To fully restore the South Alligator valley, environmentalists requested A$7.4 million (US$6.6 million) in funds. In a study at Magela Creek a year after the storm, it was determined that between 8% and 19% of the tree canopy lost due to the storm had begun to recover. Additional studies at the Gulungul Creek and the Alligator Rivers region revealed that suspended sediment values in flowing water had temporarily increased in the wake of Monica. The above-average values persisted for roughly a year before the streams returned to pre-cyclone sediment levels.

Upon making landfall on 24 April, Monica became the strongest known storm to impact the Northern Territory on record. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 250 km/h (155 mph ) by the Bureau of Meteorology and 285 km/h (180 mph ) by the JTWC. According to the JTWC, Monica had a minimum barometric pressure of 879 hPa (mbar), ranking Monica as the strongest storm recorded in the southern hemisphere alongside Cyclone Zoe of 2002. Additionally, using the Dvorak technique, the peak intensity of the cyclone was estimated over 320 km/h (200 mph) along with a minimum pressure below 869 hPa (mbar). At its peak, Monica exceeded a T# of 8.0, the highest ranking on the Dvorak Scale. Although unofficial, this would make Monica the strongest known tropical cyclone in history, eclipsing Typhoon Tip of 1979. In 2010, a detailed study was published on the maximum intensity achieved by Tropical Cyclone Monica. Based off eye temperature readings from microwave satellite images and model simulated storms, the study estimated that the minimum central pressure Tropical Cyclone Monica achieved was likely between 900-920mbs. The study also mentions that CIMSS Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) produced a revised estimate, based off a Knaff-Zehr relation specifically intended for storms in the Australian region, which yields an estimated peak intensity of 906mbs, far higher than the 869mbs originally estimated. This evidence, combined with the relatively small size of the storm strongly refutes the idea that Tropical Cyclone Monica ever attained a pressure lower than that of Super Typhoon Tip. Instead, it is likely Monica peaked with a minimum pressure of around 910mbs, as the study and official records report.