Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 22, 2009



Cyclone Orson was the fourth most intense cyclone in the Australian region ever recorded. Forming out of a tropical low on 17 April 1989, Orson gradually intensified as it tracked towards the west. After attaining Category 5 intensity on 20 April, the storm began to track southward and accelerated. The following day, the cyclone reached its peak intensity with winds of 250 km/h (155 mph, 10-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 904 hPa (mbar). Orson maintained this intensity for nearly two days before making landfall near Dampier. The cyclone rapidly weakened after landfall as it accelerated to the southeast. After moving into the Great Australian Bight on 24 April, the storm dissipated. Despite Orson's extreme intensity, damage was relatively minimal as it impacted a sparsely populated region of Western Australia. Five people were killed offshore and damages amounted to 20 million (16.8 million). The most severe impacts took place in Pannawonica, where 70 homes were damaged. Due to the severity of the storm, the name Orson was retired in 1990 and later replaced by Olga. (more...)

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