The 1973 Flores cyclone is the deadliest known tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere, killing over 1,650 people.
Key Facts
- Death toll
- 1,650–1,653 people
- Peak intensity (10-min winds)
- 150 km/h
- Minimum pressure
- 950 mb
- Fishermen killed on Palue Island
- 1,500 people
- Estimated losses
- ~5 million USD
- Australian scale category
- Category 3
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A tropical low formed in the Banda Sea on 26 April 1973, moving west-southwest before turning south. It intensified steadily, reaching Category 3 strength on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale by early 29 April, with sustained winds of 150 km/h and a central pressure of 950 mb.
On 29 April 1973, the cyclone struck the north coast of the Indonesian island of Flores at peak intensity. It brought heavy rainfall that caused deadly flash flooding, destroying or damaging thousands of houses and damaging roads. A Portuguese ship also capsized in the Flores Sea the same day, leaving only one survivor.
The storm killed 1,650 to 1,653 people, including approximately 1,500 fishermen on Palue Island, and caused around $5 million USD in losses. Communication was so disrupted that authorities in Jakarta did not receive news of the disaster until a month after the cyclone passed, with the ship's sinking confirmed officially on 28 May 1973.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 1,650 (storm)
Range: 1,650 – 1,653