Draft:Cyclone Mitchell

On 30 January, the Bureau of Meteorology first noted the potential for a tropical low, designated 21U, to form in the coming week.^[1] Three days later, on 2 February, 21U developed into a tropical low inland over Australia's Northern Territory.^[2] Moving east, the system eventually emerged over water on 5 February and intensified into a category one system the next day, receiving the name Mitchell.^[3] Mitchell later become a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale by February 7^{[citation needed]}.

Prior to being upgraded to a category 1 tropical cyclone, Mitchell dropped heavy rainfall across the Northern Territory, causing to Daly River to swell to 14.26 metres (46.8 ft) and forcing the evacuation of 250 residents.^[4] Uprooted trees, damaged street signs, and minor flooding were reported as Mitchell paralleled the Pilbara coast.^[5] Shark Bay recorded up to 103.6 millimetres (4.08 in) of rain and Legendre Island recorded a maximum wind gust of 169 kilometres per hour (105 mph).^[6] Banana farmers in Perth lost around half of their crops.^[7] A farmer Carnarvon estimated fourteen grape vines were damaged and that he lost AU$40,000 (US$28,000) from the cyclone.^[8] Remnant moisture from Mitchell fueled severe thunderstorms in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions. Strong winds ripped doors off of buildings and caused a few silos to collapse.^[9] In Exmouth, nearly 2,000 properties were left without power.^[10] Emergency services reported around twenty calls involving property damage and requests for assistance.^[11] Additionally, the closure of ports from the cyclone temporarily disrupted iron ore exports.^[12]