Tropical cyclone Frederic was the first cyclone to form in the Western Australian region in the 1987-88 season.
The initial tropical low was first discernable at 0000 UTC 28 January near 6.9°S, 99.5°E. It moved slowly west at first before settling onto a south southwestward course which it maintained from 0000 UTC 29 January until its decaying stages. The low attained tropical cyclone intensity at about 0000 UTC, 30 January near 10°S, 97.7°E, some 240 km north-northeast of Cocos Island.
The centre of the cyclone passed very close to the Cocos group at about 1500 UTC 30 January. The meteorological office on the Island reported a lowest pressure reading of 993 hPa and a maximum wind gust of 113 km/h. The community experienced gale force winds for a period of about eight hours but sustained little damage.
After leaving Cocos, Frederic continued to intensify and Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) imagery indicated a small, intense system had developed by 31 January with tightly banded features. An eye became visible for a brief period about 2100 UTC 31 January when Frederic was at its most intense. Dvorak intensity analyses suggested a central pressure near 950 hPa with maximum wind gusts of 205 km/h.
After 0000 UTC 1 February the tropical cyclone came under the influence of increasing vertical wind shear which rapidly weakened the system. By 1800 UTC 1 February the low-level centre was clearly divorced from the middle-level canopy. The low-level centre then drifted west-northwest before filling completely during 2 February.
There was no known impact associated with TC Frederic .