page_title: 1973 Flores cyclone
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: 1973 Flores cyclone / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Cyclone Flores of the 1972–73 Australian region cyclone season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The color 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, according to the legend below. 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 typeTropical cycloneSubtropical cycloneExtratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance
context_page_description: The 1973 Flores cyclone was the deadliest known tropical cyclone in the southern hemisphere, having killed 1,653 people in Indonesia in April 1973. The cyclone formed in the Banda Sea on 26 April as a tropical low. It intensified as it moved in a west-southwest direction, before shifting to the south. On 29 April, the cyclone struck the north coast of the island of Flores, dissipating the next day. The cyclone killed 1,500 fishermen on Palu'e island. The cyclone dropped heavy rainfall across Flores, causing deadly flash flooding that damaged buildings and roads.
context_section_description: On 26 April, a tropical low formed in the Banda Sea in the waters of eastern Indonesia. According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology BoM, the low moved to the west-southwest and intensified, although this was based on a later analysis. As the storm was outside of the agency's jurisdiction, the BoM did not issue warnings on the system at the time. The low attained gale-force winds late on 27 April as it moved into the Flores Sea. Late the next day, the storm turned southwestward. 
  The BoM estimated that the storm reached peak intensity early on 29 April, assessing it as a Category 3 on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h (90 mph). While near peak intensity, the small tropical cyclone had eye embedded within a central dense overcast, 295 km (185 mi) in diameter. The cyclone made landfall on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Flores. After crossing the island, the cyclone dissipated on 30 April near Flores' southern coast.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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