Tropical cyclones are non-frontal, low-pressure systems that develop, within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures and little vertical wind shear aloft. Within the Australian region, names are assigned from three pre-determined lists, to such systems, once they reach or exceed tenâÂÂminute sustained wind speeds of , near the center, by either the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Papua New Guinea's National Weather Service or Indonesia's Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika. Within the Australian region, tropical cyclones have been officially named since the 1963âÂÂ64 Australian region cyclone season, though several meteorological papers show that a few tropical cyclones were named before 1964âÂÂ65. The names of significant tropical cyclones that cause a high amount of damage and/or loss of life are retired from the lists of tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization's RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee at their bi-annual meeting. Storms named by Port Moresby are automatically retired regardless of their impact due to their infrequent occurrence.
Within the Australian region, there have been a total of 136 tropical cyclone names retired. Among the retired storms are cyclones Gwenda and Inigo, two of the most intense systems ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere; both attained a barometric pressure of 900 hPa (26.58 inHg). The deadliest cyclone to have its name retired was Cyclone Freddy in 2023, which killed 1,434 people across the Indian Ocean, while the most damaging system to have its name retired was Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, which left A$ (US$ 2023 USD) in losses; however, their effects occurred outside the Australian region, with Freddy impacting Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique in the South-West Indian Ocean, and Gabrielle affecting New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean as an extratropical system. Therefore, the deadliest cyclone to have its name retired and whose effects were solely concentrated in the Australian region was Cyclone Seroja in 2021, which killed 272 people in East Timor and Indonesia, and the costliest cyclone to have its name retired for its impacts within the basin was Cyclone Debbie in 2017, which caused A$3.5 billion (US$2.67 billion) worth of damages.
Within the region the credit for the first usage of personal names for weather systems, is generally given to the Queensland Government Meteorologist Clement Wragge, who named systems between 1887 and 1907. Wragge used names drawn from the letters of the Greek alphabet, Greek and Roman mythology and female names, to describe weather systems including tropical cyclones over Australia, New Zealand and the Antarctic. After the new Australian government had failed to create a federal weather bureau and appoint him director, Wragge started naming cyclones after political figures.
During the latter stages of World War II, forecasters with the United States Armed Forces started naming tropical cyclones over the Pacific Ocean after their wives and sweethearts. In 1945, after the practice had become popular among forecasters who found that it reduced confusion during map discussions, the Armed Forces formalized the scheme and began publicly assigning female names to tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere and male names to those in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the next few years, the practice gradually fell into disuse in the Southern Hemisphere, before it was revived by the Meteorological Service of New Caledonia during the 1958âÂÂ59 season. In November 1962, New Caledonia proposed to the Third Session of the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Association V that all tropical cyclones that occurred within the region should be identified with female names. In response, other members of the Association suggested using male names to avoid any confusion with the names used in the Northern Hemisphere, but noted that any naming scheme would require close coordination in order to prevent causing confusion. Ultimately, the Association decided that there was no need for a regional naming scheme to be introduced to the south of the Equator; however, it had no objections to members using such schemes on a national basis provided that the same names were not allocated in neighboring regions to different cyclones.
In October 1963, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology announced that its three tropical cyclone warning centres in Perth, Darwin and Brisbane would begin naming tropical cyclones during the upcoming season.
During the International Women's Year of 1975 the Australian Science Minister ordered that tropical cyclones, within the Australian region, should carry both men's and women's names. This was because the minister thought "that both sexes should bear the odium of the devastation caused by cyclones." As a result, male names were added to the lists of names for both basins, ahead of the 1975âÂÂ76 season.
|- | Audrey || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || Extensive || || |- | Flora || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || Extensive || || |- | Dinah || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || Severe || None || |- ! 3 names !! 7 January 1964 â 31 January 1967 !! !! !! !! !! Severe !! None !!
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|- | Ada || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Dora || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || Widespread || || |- | Gertie<br />Fiona || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || || || |- | Althea || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Daisy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Emily || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Madge || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || || || |- | Wanda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, New South Wales || || || |- | Tracy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory || || || |- | Trixie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Joan || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Beth || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Ted || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Alby || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- ! 14 names !! 1 January 1970 â 5 April 1978 !! !! !! !! !! $1.62 billion !! 111 !!
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|- | Simon || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, New Zealand || || || |- | Cliff || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, Queensland, Vanuatu || Unknown || || |- | Daphne || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Dominic || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Elinor || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Jane || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Kathy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cape York Peninsula, Northern Territory || || || |- | Lance || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Nigel || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, Fiji || || || |- | Sandy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Margot || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Winifred || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || $ || || |- | Manu || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, Queensland || Extensive || || |- | Connie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Jason || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory || || || |- | Elsie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Agi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia || || || |- | Charlie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Herbie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || $ || || |- | Ilona || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || $ || || |- | Delilah || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || New Caledonia, New Zealand || || || |- | Ned || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Aivu || || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Orson || || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Pedro || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cocos Island || || || |- | Felicity || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cape York Peninsula || || ||
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|- | Tina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Ivor || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cape York Peninsula || || || |- | Joy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Queensland || || || |- | Fifi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Mark || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || || || |- | Ian || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Nina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Tonga, Papua New Guinea<br>Solomon Islands, Wallis and Futuna || || || |- | Lena || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Oliver || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Roger || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, New Caledonia || || || |- | Adel || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea || || || |- | Naomi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Pearl || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |- | Quenton || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Theodore || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia || Unknown || 1 || |- | Sharon || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Indonesia, Western Australia || || || |- | Annette || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia, South Australia || || || |- | Bobby || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Violet || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Lord Howe Island, New South Wales || || || |- | Warren || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || || || |- | Chloe || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Agnes || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Frank || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Gertie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Australia || || || |- | Barry || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Celeste || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Ethel || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || || || |- | Kirsty || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Olivia || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia, South Australia || || || |- | Lindsay || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Fergus || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, New Zealand || || || |- | Rachel || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Justin || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, Queensland || || || |- | Rhonda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cocos Islands, Western Australia || || || |- | Katrina || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Queensland || || || |- | Sid || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory || || || |- | Thelma || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Rona || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Eastern Australia, New Caledonia || || || |- | Vance || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || - || || |- | Elaine || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Gwenda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || Minimal || || |- | John || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || ||
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|- | Steve || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Australia, Western Australia || || || |- | Tessi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Rosita || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Sam || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || North-Western Australia || || || |- | Abigail || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || || || |- |Chris || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Indonesia, Western Australia || $920,000 || 12 || |- | Upia || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea || || || |- | Erica || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, New Caledonia || || || |- | Graham || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Inigo || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Indonesia, Western Australia || || || |- | Epi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea || || || |- | Monty || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Fay || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || North-Western Australia || || || |- | Harvey || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory || || || |- | Ingrid || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, Northern Australia || || || |- | Clare || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Larry || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Glenda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Monica || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || || || |- | George || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || North-Western Australia || || 2 || |- | Guba || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea || || || |- | Helen || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory || || || |- | Durga || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || None || || || |- | Hamish || || bgcolor=#|Category 5 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || 2 || |- | Laurence || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || ||
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|- | Magda || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Tasha || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || Unknown || 1 || |- | Carlos || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || || |- | Heidi || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || Minimal || None || |- | Jasmine || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tonga || || || |- | Lua || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || None || |- | Oswald || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Eastern Australia || || || |- | Rusty || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Christine || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Ita || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Queensland<br>Papua New Guinea, New Zealand || || || |- | Lam || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Australia || || || |- | Marcia || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || || |- | Olwyn || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Quang || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || Minimal || || |- | Debbie || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland || || 14 || |- | Marcus || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Western Australia || || None || |- | Trevor || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || > || None || |- | Veronica || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || None ||
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|- | Damien || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || None || |- | Harold || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga || || âÂÂ¥30 || |- | Mangga || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#||| bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || || |- | Seroja || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Indonesia, East Timor, Western Australia || || 272 || |- | Seth || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Northern Territory, Queensland || || 4 || |- | Freddy || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi || || || |- | Gabrielle || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Norfolk Island, New Zealand || || 11 (1) || |- | Ilsa || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Indonesia, Northern Territory, Western Australia || || 0 (8) || |- | Jasper || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Queensland || || 1 || |- | Kirrily || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales || || None || |- | Megan || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, Northern Territory || Unknown || None || |- | Zelia || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Western Australia || || None || |- | Alfred || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Queensland, New South Wales || || 1 || |-class="sortbottom"
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