Meteorological History
A tropical low that had been centred over land in the Northern Territory's Top End since 27 February started showing signs of development, and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Darwin initiated tropical cyclone advices on 2 March while the low was still inland. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system later that day, and designated it Tropical Cyclone 17S the next day as it emerged into water.
Later on 3 March, TCWC Darwin upgraded the low to a tropical cyclone, naming it George, the first name used from the Darwin list since Fay in March 2004. George continued to strengthen, and was upgraded to a Category 2 tropical cyclone. It made landfall on 4 March in the Kimberley region Western Australia on the western coast of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. The tropical cyclone weakened and the BOM downgraded it to a tropical low after it moved over land, but this weakening was short lived however, as it almost immediately re-intensified into a Category 1 tropical cyclone when it started to move off the Kimberley coast.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth began monitoring the re-developed cyclone as it moved westward. Initially, poor organisation inhibited any strengthening, but George moved into more favourable conditions and quickly regained strength. On the evening of 7 March, George intensified to a Severe Catergory 3 system. The severe cyclone turned abruptly to the south later that day, moving closer to the Pilbara coast, while growing significantly in size. As George continued to move southwards towards Port Hedland on 8 March, George was upgraded to a Category 4 cyclone, and a Category 5 just prior to landfall. At this time, the JTWC declared George to have intensified to 205 km/h (130 mph) 1-minute sustained winds, equivalent to a strong Category 3 in the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Gales were first recorded at Port Hedland at 5:20 p.m on 8 March (Australian Western Daylight Savings Time). At 7 p.m, the weather station on Bedout Island (off the Pilbara Coast) reported a 10 minute mean wind speed of 194 kilometres per hour (121 mph), which is the highest 10 minute average officially recorded in Australia.
At 10 p.m on 8 March, Cyclone George made landfall 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of Port Hedland. When it made landfall, it was still at its peak intensity. Damaging wind gusts of 154 kilometres per hour (96 mph) were recorded at Port Hedland Airport weather station just before 11 p.m. The anemometer failed shortly afterwards. At 00:12 a.m on 9 March, an air pressure reading of 962.7 hectopascals (28.43 inHg) was recorded at Port Hedland Airport; this was lowest recorded at the airport during the passage of the cyclone. George weakened slowly while over land and it was downgraded to a Category 3 late on 9 March. The next day, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Perth issued its final warning for the system.
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