 Early on 16 May, slightly more than two weeks after the official end to the Australian cyclone season, the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane identified a tropical low east-southeast of Papua New Guinea.The low organised quickly in the Soloman Sea, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on it several hours later.TCWC Brisbane named the system Tropical Cyclone Pierre early the next day.