User:IrishSurfer21/Oma

Severe Tropical Cyclone Oma

Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale)
Category 1 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
Cyclone Oma at peak intensity shortly before re-entering the Australian basin on 19 February
Formed	11 February 2019
Dissipated	28 February 2019
(Extratropical after 23 February)
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 130 km/h (80 mph) 1-minute sustained: 140 km/h (85 mph)
Lowest pressure	974 hPa (mbar); 28.76 inHg
Fatalities	1 total
Damage	$51.48 million (2019 USD)
Areas affected	Queensland, New South Wales, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu
Part of the 2018–19 Australian region and South Pacific cyclone seasons

At 02:00 UTC on 8 February, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) first noted a system over the Coral Sea for possible tropical cyclogenesis. Initially only given a low probability to do so, the JTWC slowly raised it to a medium chance by 06:00 UTC on 11 February.^[1] At roughly the same time, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) declared the disturbance a tropical low as it was located over the northern Coral Sea west of Vanuatu.^[2] About 15 hours later, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on the system as it had a high probability of formation within the following 24 hours. Citing warm sea surface temperatures of around 30°C (86°F), the disturbance grew convective banding and a rather broad, but organized, low-level circulation, despite strong easterly vertical wind shear of 25–35 knots (28–40 mph); the system was gradually tracking eastward along the southern periphery of an equatorial ridge.^[3][2] At 00:00 UTC on 12 February, the JTWC issued their first warning on the newly-formed tropical cyclone at 00:00 UTC on 12 February, assigning it the identifier 15P to be used until the system was to be named by the BOM or Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).^[1][3] According to the BOM, the system developed into a tropical cyclone late that day,^[2] and was assigned the name Oma by the FMS, whom responsibility to issue advisories was handled to as the cyclone entered the South Pacific basin for the first time.^[4]

As a precaution for Oma, a cyclone watch was issued for portions of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, which was cancelled on 21 February. The state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk advised the public to avoid surf stirred up by Oma, warning of hazardous beach conditions to the media. The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology also warned of beach erosion and abnormally high tides. Several beaches in Queensland were closed and sailors were urged not to take boats out to sea during the cyclone.^[5] A hazardous surf warning was issued for Fraser Island and Central Queensland on 21 February.^[6]