| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 2 tropical cyclone | |||
| |||
| Duration | 23 January – 30 January | ||
| Intensity | 165 km/h (105 mph) (10-min), 945 mbar (hPa) | ||
Early on 21 January the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) in Darwin reported that a tropical low formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria and gave it the identifier '12U'. Gradual strengthening took place and on 25 January, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began monitoring the system as Tropical Cyclone 10P. A few hours later, TCWC Perth upgraded the low into a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone, naming it Bianca. Early on the next day, TCWC Perth further upgraded Bianca to a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone. Intensification continued and late on the same day, TCWC Perth upgraded Bianca into a Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone. The system continued to intensify and became a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on 28 January. On the same day, the system started weakening rapidly and TCWC Perth downgraded Bianca into a Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone.
Rain and strong winds were being felt along the Kimberley coast on 25 January. On 26 January, Bianca moved away from Kimberley and weather conditions started to improve. Bianca disrupted operations in Australia's major iron ore port and several oil facilities. In Western Australia, preparations were underway as the system was soon expected to move close to land. Bianca is expected to move parallel to the Australian coast and re-curve to the south-southeast. As soon as Bianca became a category 3 Severe tropical cyclone, strong winds lashed through Pilbara suspending Oil and gas production and port facilities. Though Bianca was moving away and the level of risk was going down, coastal communities between Onslow and Exmouth remained on a red alert as the system intensified. On 28 January , According to the media, there was a chance for Bianca, to start weakening, as it was moving further south into a colder, high pressure zone.
The last cyclone to track south of Perth was Cyclone Ned in 1989.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Bianca was expected to make landfall around Mandurah as a weak Category 1 or strong Tropical Low late on 30 January. A Cyclone Warning was activated for the area between just north of Jurien Bay and Albany, including Perth. The warnings were cancelled on 30 January, however, as Bianca dissipated south of Western Australia on the afternoon of 30 January. The airmass around Bianca was responsible for giving Perth and the Southwest of WA a taste of the tropics with severe thunderstorms, unrelated to Bianca, springing up on Saturday 29th causing damage in the Geraldton region. Two deaths were attributed to damaging severe thunderstorms that formed along the storm's outer bands.
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