 On 4 January 2006 , a weak area of low pressure was situated in the Arafura Sea . It moved westward , and by 6 January , it was located in the Timor Sea . That same day , both the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center ( JTWC ) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology ( BoM ) identified the system as a tropical disturbance . On 7 January , the low began to show signs of strengthening . Continuing to organise , the BoM designated it as Tropical Cyclone Clare shortly thereafter . At the time , it was centred approximately 265 mi ( 426 km ) to the north of Broome and moving west @-@ southwestward . The JTWC classified the cyclone , locally designated 05S , as a tropical storm at 1800 UTC . 
