The interaction with a monsoon trough formed an area of low pressure that developed into Tropical Cyclone Graham on 27 February.

On 23 February 2003, an area of convection that was situated over land for roughly a week emerged over open waters along the northern coast of Australia.

The disturbance was initially nearly stationary as it showed signs of organization due to relaxed shear, and at 0700 UTC on 27 February, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) designated the storm as Tropical Cyclone Graham, as it had attained 80 km/h (50 mph) 10-minute maximum sustained winds.

[2] Initially exhibiting characteristics of a monsoonal low, a mid-level ridge to the south of Graham caused strong westerly winds that moved the storm slowly east-southeastward.

[1] The storm made landfall at Western Australia's Eighty Mile Beach at 1400 UTC on 28 February, and began to weaken.

[5] Near that town, at Blue Bush Creek, while a group of people attempted to cross floodwaters, two men were swept away.