Tag Archives: Queensland

Natural Disasters, World Weather

Flood weary Queensland, Australia struck by tropical cyclone

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Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi moves inland over flood ravaged Queensland, Australia. Click the image to view more satellite photos on Examiner.com
Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi moves inland over flood ravaged Queensland, Australia. Click the image to view more satellite photos on Examiner.com (CIMSS)

Devastating flooding over the past month and a half inundated hundreds of thousands of square miles in the Australian state of Queensland.  The last thing the weary residents needed was more stormy weather but that is what came in the form of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi. 

Just a few days ago Tropical Cyclone Anthony made landfall on Australia’s northeast coast.  Mercifully it was a relatively small storm.  The same cannot be said of Yasi.

Yasi landed at midnight local time on Thursday as a powerful Category 5 storm packing wind gusts to 186 mph.  Tens of thousands of residents fled the storm as it approached and reports of down trees, roofs ripped off homes and widespread power outages are being seen. 

As reported by the Natural Disasters Examiner:

“This is a cyclone of savagery and intensity,” warned Prime Minister Julia Gillard.  “People are facing some really dreadful hours in front of them.”

Accompanying the damaging wind was destructive storm surge more than six feet high that will likely submerge low lying coastal areas.  Rains from the storm are sure to drench ground already saturated from the massive flooding Queensland has seen in recent weeks and new flooding is likely.

The storm has moved inland and is near the town of Georgetown.  It still is packing powerful punch as a Category 3 cyclone with gusts in excess of 127 mph (205 kph).

Get the complete story on Examiner.com including a look at amazing satellite imagery of the storm as it struck.

Related: NOAA satellite imagery of the flooding in Australia (Examiner.com)

Natural Disasters, World Weather

Australian floods continue unabated flooding hundreds of thousands of square miles

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This screen capture shows a car being carried away by a flash flood in Toowoomba, Australia. Click the image to watch the amazing video on Examiner.com.
This screen capture shows a car being carried away by a flash flood in Toowoomba, Australia. Click the image to watch the amazing video on Examiner.com.

The death toll from the relentless flooding in Queensland, Australia continues to climb as four people were killed in a flash flood.  The rising waters have inundated an area covering hundreds of thousands of square miles and now threaten the city of Brisbane. 

The most recent fatalities, two adults and two children, occurred near the city of Toowoomba when flash floods swept their vehicle from the road.  A wall of water as high as 26 feet (eight meters) raged through the area in the wake of a rainstorm. 

Cars, furniture and people were tossed around by the rushing waters and search and rescue operations continue as fears of additional deaths weigh heavily.  The waters hit with enough intensity to move houses from their foundations and landslides covered highways. 

Premier Anna Bligh told a press conference, “Mother Nature has unleashed something shocking on Toowoomba.”

Continue reading Australian floods continue unabated flooding hundreds of thousands of square miles →

World Weather

Flooding in Australia reaches ‘biblical proportions’, turns deadly

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Flooding in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia. Rising waters prompted one government officials to call it a disaster of 'biblical proportions.' (Flickr / Michael Jefferies)
Flooding in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia. Rising waters prompted one government officials to call it 'a disaster of biblical proportions.' (Flickr / Michael Jefferies) Click the image for more photos of the Australian flooding on Examiner.com.

Residents of Australia’s state of Queensland are facing an extraordinary deluge following record-setting rain.  In recent weeks an unusually heavy rainy season coupled with Tropical Storm Tasha has affected an area of land bigger than France and Germany combined.

Queensland’s state treasurer Andrew Fraser  told media last week, “It is a disaster of biblical proportions.” 

NASA satellite measurements of the rainfall indicated from 10 to 16 inches of rain fell within a week.  Many rivers have overrun their banks including the Fitzroy River which is sending water into the city of Rockhampton. 

Disaster declarations have been made for an area encompassing 366,000 square miles and 41 of Queensland’s 73 municipalities.  An estimated 200,000 residents are affected by the floods and tens of thousands have been evacuated. 

Government officials said 22 towns were either entirely flooded or isolated by flood waters.  At least 10 deaths have been attributed to the flooding and rivers have yet to crest. 

For more, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner:

Natural Disasters, World Weather

Queensland, Australia readies for Tropical Cyclone Ului

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Satellite image - Tropical Cyclone Ului poised to strike Queensland, Australia. (ABM)
Satellite image - Tropical Cyclone Ului poised to strike Queensland, Australia. (ABM)

The eastern coast of Australia was on high alert as Tropical Cyclone Ului prepared to make landfall in Queensland. Packing winds approaching 75 mph (165 km/hr), the government has begun evacuations in advance of the powerful storm.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said that Ului had shown intensification over the past six hours and was warning it may strike land as a Category 3 storm packing winds to 105 mph (170 km/hr). Very destructive winds are forecast to begin affecting coastal areas late Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Landfall is expected 625 miles north of Brisbane (1000km) between Bowen and Proserpine. As with any cyclone, the wind presents the most immediate danger. However heavy rain raises the risk of severe flooding as 8 to 12 inches is expected in the hardest hit areas.

In advance of the storm, Queensland issued a disaster declaration which clears the way for the government force the evacuation of those at risk. Currently the communities Townsville, Burdekin, Rockhampton, Whitsunday, Charters Towers, Mackay, and Isaac fall under the mandatory evacuation orders. Resort areas along the Great Barrier Reef have already been evacuated.

For the complete forecast map and details, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.