Severe tropical cyclone Vance that devastated the northwest town of Exmouth, produced a measured wind gust of 267 km/h, which is the highest wind speed ever recorded on mainland Australia. The gust was recorded at 11.50 am (WST) 22 March 1999 at Learmonth Meteorological Office, 38 km south of Exmouth, as Vance passed nearby.

The Bureau’s Regional Director Len Broadbridge said that Vance was one of the most severe cyclones in Australia’s history. "The wind speeds experienced at Exmouth are possibly the strongest experienced by an Australian town or city in recorded history."