Australian east-coast cyclones. Part I: synoptic overview and case study

The main synoptic precursor is a trough (or "dip') in the easterly wind regime over eastern Australia. The cyclones are a mesoscale development which occurs on the coast in this synoptic environment. They form preferentially at night, in the vicinity of a marked low-level baroclinic zone, and just equatorward of a region of enhanced convection resulting from flow over the coastal ranges. Three different types of east-coast cyclone have been identified. Types 1 and 3 are very small systems which can have lifetimes as short as 16 hours, during which hurricane force winds have been observed to develop. The other, type 2, system is a meso/synoptic-scale cyclone that can bring sustained strong winds and flood rainfall over several days. Because of their intensity, rapid development, and occasional tiny size, these systems are a major forecast problem. -from Authors