page_title: Cyclone Joy
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Joy / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Cyclone Joy track. Uses the color scheme from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The points show the location of each storm at six-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Cyclone Joy struck Australia in late 1990, causing the third highest floods on record in Rockhampton, Queensland. This cyclone began as a weak tropical low near the Solomon Islands, and initially moved westward. On 18 December, it was named Joy, becoming the 2nd named storm of the 1990–91 Australian region cyclone season. After turning southwest, Joy developed a well-defined eye and strengthened to maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h while approaching Cairns in Far North Queensland. Brushing the city with strong winds, the cyclone soon weakened and turned southeast. Joy later curved back southwest, making landfall near Townsville, Queensland on 26 December. It dissipated the next day; remnant moisture continued as torrential rainfall over Queensland for two weeks.
  While drifting offshore northeastern Australia, the cyclone produced wind gusts as high as 124 km/h in Cairns, strong enough to cause power outages. In Mackay, a tornado spawned by Joy damaged 40 homes, while torrential rainfall just south of the city peaked at over 2 metres. Most storm-associated damage was wrought by severe flooding, which persisted for weeks in hardest-hit locations.
context_section_description: In mid-December, a monsoon trough persisted along the west Pacific Ocean, spawning a pair of tropical disturbances both north and south of the equator. In the northwestern Pacific Ocean, the system became Typhoon Russ. On 15 December, a tropical low formed east of the Solomon Islands. During the next few days, the system passed south of the country while slowly organizing. On 18 December, the Australia Bureau of Meteorology began tracking it, naming the system "Joy" after it upgraded the low to tropical cyclone status. A meteorologist from Darwin later apologised that the name was used so close to Christmas, although "Joy" was predetermined by a rotating list of list of tropical cyclone names. Also on 18 December, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began issuing warnings on the storm, labeling it as Tropical Cyclone 06P. With a ridge to the south, Joy continued generally west-southwestward.
  While in its origins, Joy was experiencing upper-level wind shear, but as it approached the jet stream while turning to the southwest, conditions became more favourable for intensification. The storm quickly intensified, reaching the equivalent of a minimal hurricane on 21 December. At 00:00 UTC on 23 December, the Bureau estimated Joy reached peak 10-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (103 mph), which made the system a category 4 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Around the same time, the JTWC also estimated the same peak winds, but sustained over one minute. Joy developed an eye about 50 km (31 mi) in diameter with concentric eyewalls. The storm began moving slowly off the northeast coast of Australia, passing within 100 km (62 mi) of Cairns, and the motion shifted to a southeast drift. A building high pressure area to the south caused the change in movement, and there were initial concerns the storm would loop to the west and affect Cairns again. Drier air caused Joy to weaken gradually from its peak to the equivalent of a strong tropical storm. At 06:00 UTC on 26 December, after turning back to the southwest, the storm made landfall near Townsville, Queensland, with winds estimated at 95 km/h (59 mph). That day, the JTWC discontinued advisories, and on 27 December, Joy dissipated inland over Queensland. A remnant system persisted into early January, producing continued rainfall across Queensland.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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