2014 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Gillian 2014
Gillian spent much of its long life as a weak circulation near northern Australia and Indonesia. It strengthened dramatically only after moving into the Indian Ocean beyond Christmas Island.
Drag to pan. Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.
161 mph
Mar 23, 2014 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A long route around northern Australia
Gillian developed in the Gulf of Carpentaria and moved across northwestern Queensland on March 10 as a weak cyclone. Wind shear, dry air and repeated land interaction prevented sustained strengthening. The circulation then turned around the Top End and continued westward through Indonesia, crossing Timor on March 18.
Late intensification near Christmas Island
Gillian regained cyclone strength on March 21 as it moved away from Indonesia. It passed southeast of Christmas Island the next day and intensified rapidly. Archived sustained winds reached 140 knots on March 23, bringing it to Category 5 strength well after its earlier land crossings.
The passage near Christmas Island felled thousands of trees and damaged the roof of one of the island's oldest buildings. Gusts reached 96 kilometers per hour. Farther west, increasing wind shear quickly weakened the cyclone, and operational advisories ended on March 26. The archive follows the remaining circulation into March 28.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Areas affected | Indonesia |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Gillian in brief
What was Cyclone Gillian's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Mar 23, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Gillian?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Mar 23, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Gillian's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Mar 23, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Cyclone Gillian occur?
The archived track runs from Mar 7, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC to Mar 28, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Mar 7, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC to Mar 27, 2014, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Gillian form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 2014 season. Its first archived position is 9.3°S, 138°E on Mar 7, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Gillian make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 35 mph on Mar 10, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology