How did wind speed and directions change as Cyclone Tracy passed over Darwin?
The wind speed increased. Cyclone Tracy was a category 4 storm whilst still out at sea, but there is some evidence to suggest that it had reached category 5 status when it made landfall. The cyclone passed directly over Darwin just after midnight, with its ‘eye’ centred on the airport and northern suburbs. The wind gauge at Darwin Airport officially recorded winds of 217 kilometres per hour before being blown away itself. Unofficial estimates suggest that the wind speed actually reached 300 kilometres per hour.
