# List of Category 5 Australian region severe tropical cyclones

Category 5 severe tropical cyclones are tropical cyclones that reach Category 5 intensity on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale within the Australian region. They are by definition the strongest tropical cyclones that can form on Earth. A total of 48 recorded tropical cyclones have peaked at Category 5 strength in the Australian region, which is denoted as the part of the Southern Hemisphere between 90°E and 160°E. The earliest tropical cyclone to be classified as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone was Pam which was classified as a Category 5 between February 3 – 5, 1974, as it moved through the Coral Sea. The latest system to be classified as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone was Ilsa, which was classified on 13 April 2023 off the coast of Western Australia.

## Background

The Australian region tropical cyclone basin is located to the south of the Equator between 90°E and 160°E and is officially monitored by the Indonesian Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG), Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service. Other meteorological services such as New Zealand's MetService, Météo-France as well as the Fiji Meteorological Service and the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center monitor the basin. Within the basin a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone is a tropical cyclone that has 10-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds over 107 knots (198 km/h; 123 mph) or greater on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. A named storm could also be classified as a Category 5 tropical cyclone if it is estimated, to have 1-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds over 137 knots (254 km/h; 158 mph) on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Within the basin this scale is not officially used, however, systems are commonly compared to the SSHWS using 1-minute sustained wind speeds from the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On both scales, a Category 5 tropical cyclone is expected to cause widespread devastation, if it significantly impacts land at or near its peak intensity.

## 20th century

| Name | Duration | Peak intensity | Peak intensity | Areas affected | Damage (USD) | Deaths | Refs |
| Name | Duration | Wind speed | Pressure | Areas affected | Damage (USD) | Deaths | Refs |
| Trixie | 15–22 February 1975 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Western Australia | $3.71 million | None | |
| Beverley | 27–28 March 1975 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 929 hPa (27.43 inHg) | Western Australia | >$1 million | | |
| Joan | 5–7 December 1975 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Western Australia | $25 million | None | |
| Alby | 27 March – 5 April 1978 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Western Australia | 10 million | 5 | |
| Amy | 9–10 January 1980 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Indonesia, Western Australia | | | |
| Dean | 31 January–1 February 1980 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Indonesia, Northern Australia | | | |
| Enid | 17 February 1980 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Western Australia | | | |
| Carol | 16–17 December 1980 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Indonesia | | | |
| Mabel | 18–19 January 1981 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Western Australia | | | |
| Dominic | 7 April 1982 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) | Northern Australia, New Guinea | | | |
| Elinor | 25 February 1983 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | Queensland | Minor | | |
| Kathy | 16–24 March 1984 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | Cape York Peninsula, Northern Territory | $12 million | 1 | |
| Harry | February 8–19, 1989 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Vanuatu, New Caledonia | | | |
| Aivu | 31 March – 5 April 1989 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | Queensland | $90 million | 1 | |
| Orson | 17–24 April 1989 | 240 km/h (150 mph) | 905 hPa (26.72 inHg) | Western Australia | $16 million | 5 | |
| Alex | 19–20 March 1990 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 927 hPa (27.37 inHg) | Indonesia, Christmas Island | | | |
| Graham | 5–6 December 1991 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Sumatra, Cocos Islands, Christmas Island | | | |
| Neville | 9 April 1992 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 945 hPa (27.91 inHg) | Northern Territory | | | |
| Rewa | 26 December 1993 - 23 January 1994 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea Queensland, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu | Unknown | 22 | |
| Theodore | 25 February 1994 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) | Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea Vanuatu, New Caledonia Norfolk Island, New Zealand | | | |
| Chloe | 7 April 1995 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | Timor, Western Australia | None | None | |
| Pancho- Helinda | 21–22 January 1997 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) | Sumatra, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Madagascar | | | |
| Thelma | 3–15 December 1998 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | N/A | 1 | |
| Frederic– Evrina | 31 March 1999 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Vance | 16–23 March 1999 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | $303 million | None | |
| Gwenda | 6 April 1999 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 900 hPa (26.58 inHg) | Timor, Indonesia, Western Australia | | | |
| John | 14 December 1999 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Timor, Indonesia, Western Australia | 196 million | None | |

## 21st century

| Name | Duration | Peak intensity | Peak intensity | Areas affected | Damage (USD) | Deaths | Refs |
| Name | Duration | Wind speed | Pressure | Areas affected | Damage (USD) | Deaths | Refs |
| Paul | 10 – 21 April 2000 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Rosita | 14 – 21 April 2000 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Indonesia, Western Australia, Northern Territory | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Sam | 28 November – 14 December 2000 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Chris | 2 – 7 February 2002 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Inigo | 30 March – 8 April 2003 | 230 km/h (145 mph) | 900 hPa (26.58 inHg) | Eastern Indonesia, Timor, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Fay | 16 – 28 March 2004 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) | Northern Territory, Timor, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Ingrid | 4 – 16 March 2005 | 230 km/h (145 mph) | 924 hPa (27.29 inHg) | New Guinea, Northern Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Glenda | 28–29 March 2006 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 910 hPa (26.87 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Monica | 16 - 27 April 2006 | 250 km/h (155 mph) | 916 hPa (27.05 inHg) | New Guinea, Northern Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| George | 27 February - 12 March 2007 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 902 hPa (26.64 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Hamish | 5 - 12 March 2009 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 924 hPa (27.29 inHg) | Queensland | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Laurence | 8 – 23 December 2009 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Yasi | 31 January – 3 February 2011 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 929 hPa (27.43 inHg) | Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Australia | $2.5 billion | 1 | |
| Gillian | 6 – 27 March 2014 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 927 hPa (27.37 inHg) | New Guinea, Indonesia, Queensland Northern Territory, Christmas Island | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Ita | 5 – 15 April 2014 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 922 hPa (27.23 inHg) | Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Queensland | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Marcia | 15 – 21 February 2015 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 932 hPa (27.52 inHg) | Queensland, New South Wales | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Ernie | 4 – 12 April 2017 | 220 km/h (140 mph) | 924 hPa (27.29 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Marcus | 14 – 25 March 2018 | 250 km/h (155 mph) | 905 hPa (26.72 inHg) | Northern Territory, Western Australia | Unknown | None | |
| Veronica | 18 – 28 March 2019 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 928 hPa (27.40 inHg) | Western Australia | | | |
| Niran | 27 February – 6 March 2021 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 936 hPa (27.64 inHg) | Queensland, New Caledonia | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Darian | 13 – 30 December 2022 | 230 km/h (145 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Herman | 28 March – 5 April 2023 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Ilsa | 6 – 15 April 2023 | 230 km/h (145 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Indonesia, East Timor, Northern Territory, Western Australia | >$2.7 million | 8 | |
| Jasper | 4 – 13 December 2023 | 215 km/h (130 mph) | 926 hPa (27.34 inHg) | Queensland | | | |
| Olga | 3 – 11 April 2024 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 933 hPa (27.55 inHg) | Western Australia | None | None | |
| Zelia | 10 – 14 February 2025 | 205 km/h (125 mph) | 928 hPa (27.40 inHg) | Western Australia | unknown | unknown | |

## Other systems

In addition to the 52 tropical cyclones listed above, three other tropical cyclones are considered by the BoM to have been a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone within the Australian region. These are Cyclone Mahina of 1899 and two tropical cyclones that struck Innisfail and Mackay during 1918. Severe tropical cyclones Erica (2003) and Harold (2020) became Category 5 severe tropical cyclones, after they moved out of the Australian region and into the South Pacific basin. Severe Tropical Cyclones Fran (1992) and Beni (2003) were Category 5 severe tropical cyclones, before they moved into the Australian region from the South Pacific basin. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului weakened into a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone, as it moved across 160°E into the Australian region.
The BoM estimates that Severe Tropical cyclones Viola–Claudette (1979), Jane–Irna (1992), Daryl–Agnielle (1995), Bruce (2013) and Freddy (2023) peaked as Category 5 severe tropical cyclones, after they had moved out of the Australian region and into the South-West Indian Ocean.
Operationally Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle was estimated to have peaked as a category 5 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph). However, during the post-storm analysis process, it was downgraded to a Category 4 system, with 10-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph).

## Impacts

Category 5 severe tropical cyclones are expected to cause widespread devastation if they significantly impact land.