Draft:Cyclone Lincoln

Tropical Cyclone Lincoln was a relatively weak tropical cyclone that affected Queensland in mid-February 2024. Lincoln was the first tropical cyclone to form in the Gulf of the Carpentaria since Tropical Cyclone Alfred in February 2017. The fourth named storm of the 2023–24 Australian region cyclone season, Lincoln developed from a tropical low over the western Gulf of Carpentaria within a monsoon trough over the Top End approximately 419 km to the east-southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Tracked slowly moving towards the coast, consolidating LLCC with convection started to develop and was wrapping toward the center.

By 16 February, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that the tropical low had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale and named it Lincoln. Lincoln then later crossed the Northern Territory—Queensland border, making landfall at the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. By 21 February, the remnants of Lincoln emerged over the Kimberley coast and began to re-organize, resulting deep convection to the north. Lincoln then crossed just south of Coral Bay on the Australian northwestern coastline just after 12:00 UTC that day, before moving inland across Gascoyne and dissipating shortly afterward.

Meteorological history
On 6 February, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) noted a tropical low was expected to form over northern Australia between the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and the Gulf of Carpentaria in a few days, designating it as 07U. By 13 February, the BoM reported that a tropical low had developed over the western Gulf of Carpentaria within a monsoon trough over the Top End, approximately 419 km to the east-southeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Initially located in an favourable environment for intensification, the tropical low began to encounter somewhat improved conditions. As the tropical low tracked slowly moving towards the coast, consolidating LLCC with convection started to develop and was wrapping toward the center. By 15 February, at 14:30 UTC, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA), noting that the system was in a favorable environment with low wind shear and sea surface temperatures exceeding 29-30 C. The agency later issued its first warning on the system, classifying it as Tropical Cyclone 14P. The BoM followed suit—officially upgrading the system to a Category 1 tropical cyclone and assigning the name Lincoln. Lincoln had a partially exposed low-level circulation center (LLCC) with core convection confined to the western edge of the cyclone. Lincoln made landfall on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast between Port McArthur and the Northern Territory—Queensland border just after 06:00 UTC on 16 February.

Shortly after the landfall, the JTWC discontinued warnings on the system. Later that day, the BoM followed suit and released its last advisory as the system degenerated into a tropical low. However, Lincoln remained traceable, and the BoM would give the system a high chance of redeveloping into a tropical cyclone on 18 February. By 21 February, the remnants of Lincoln turned westward into the offshore of the Kimberley coast and began to re-organize, resulting deep convection to the north. The JTWC re-issued a TCFA for the system at 07:30 UTC as the formative convective banding was wrapping into a defined circulation. With an increase in convective banding on the southern of the cyclone's circulation, the JTWC re-initiated advisories on the storm approximately 446 km northeast of Learmonth at 03:00 UTC on 22 February. Turning northwest as it approached Western Australia, the storm failed to organised its deep convection. By 24 February, the JTWC subsequently issued their final advisory on the system, as its circulation became exposed. The storm then crossed just south of Coral Bay on the Australian northwestern coastline just after 12:00 UTC that day, before moving inland across Gascoyne and dissipating shortly afterward.