On 3 March 1997 the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) observed multiple areas of low pressure across the Coral Sea.

[1] Over the next couple of days, these low pressure systems organized and consolidated, and on 7 March local time the cyclone was named Justin.

[1][2] Justin slowly strengthened and increased in size for a few days after its formation, reaching 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 60 knots (69 mph; 110 km/h) on 9 March.

On that day, strong winds resulted in extensive damage and loss of life occurred in parts of Papua New Guinea,[1][2] as well as downed trees and severe beach erosion in central Queensland.

[2] Over the subsequent four days, the storm moved very slowly to the north, weakening as it went due to cooler sea surface temperatures and increasing vertical wind shear.

Strong winds again began to affect Papua New Guinea, causing widespread damage and leaving around 12,000 people homeless.

[2][1] Severe Tropical Cyclone Justin caused 37 deaths and had a significant impact on the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.

Its storm force winds, which reached up to 150 km/h, caused extensive damage to banana, sugar cane and pawpaw crops.

On the other hand, the building industry and manufacturers flourished as the need to repair to replace goods/buildings, which had been destroyed or damaged by Cyclone Justin, was tremendously high.

The cyclone resulted in 7 fatalities; 5 people were on a yacht that sank, a woman was killed in a landslide which was triggered by the excessive rainfall, and a boy was electrocuted by a falling power line.

When Cyclone Justin hit some parts, mainly around Heron Island and the Whitsundays, of the Great Barrier Reef's ecosystem were severely damaged.