Darwin has been mostly or completely destroyed five times through natural causes. Lying in the path of tropical cyclones, it is regularly battered during the wet season, from November to March, and five of these have inflicted severe to catastrophic damage (1878, 1882, 1897, 1937, and 1974), with the last, Cyclone Tracy, obliterating two thirds of the city, damaging most of the rest, and killing 66 people. A sixth onslaught was human: the Japanese air force repeatedly bombed Darwin during World War ll and left little of it standing. As its cyclonic phase suggests, Darwin is a tropical city in the fullest sense: average temperatures range between 20º C and 30º C (68º F and 86º F) and the annual rainfall, much of which can descend in several concentrated torrential downpours, measures around 1,500 mm (59 in). This climate has important implications for Darwin's way of life and its general appearance.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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