Tropical Cyclone Chris

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: February 6, 2002, 9:30:00 AM

As of Wednesday, February 6, 2002, 4:00 a.m. EST, Tropical Cyclone Chris was located about 8 nautical miles southwest of Marble Bar, Australia. Current estimates put the typhoon’s maximum sustained wind speed of 109 mph (175km/h) with gusts up to 132 mph (212km/h). Chris made landfall at about 4:30 a.m. local time, striking to the southwest of Port Hedland, a mining town of some 14,000, with reports of minimal damage. Chris is continuing to move toward the south-southwest at about 8 mph (13km/h). Chris was upgraded to a Saffir-Simpson Category 5 overnight, with winds of up to 180 mph (290km/h). But was downgraded to a Category 4 shortly after landfall. Chris is expected to continue to lose power as it continues over land. Because the storm came on shore in a sparsely populated region, the AIR tropical cyclone modeling team expects insured losses to be minimal.

Landfall | Downloads
Posting Date: February 6, 2002, 9:30:00 AM