Cyclone Debbie is bearing down on the North Queensland coast around Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands. Forecast to cross the coast just before 11:00am today Tuesday, 28th March. Wind gusts forecast to be 250klm an hour.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-28/cyclone-debbie-makes-landfall-in-north-queensland-live-blog/8391312
The main concern for the Mackay area is the storm surge with the high tide occurring simultaneously! Will Debbie make the list of worst cyclones ever to hit the coast of Queensland.
Live streaming to ABC North Queensland here : https://radio.abc.net.au/stations/itinerant_one/live
A bit of History on Australian cyclones since white settlement.
1899 - Category five Tropical Cyclone Mahina March 4th
Over 400 people killed and the storm surge left porpoises on the tops of cliffs and the destruction was made worse by another cyclone Monsoonal Disturbance Nachon coming at them from the west over the Arafura Sea at the same time.
1918 - Category four Tropical Cyclone Mackay. January 21st
30 lives were lost in Mackay when this cyclone crossed the coast. Reports of wave coming into the main street up to 9ft high which is about 3 meters.
1918 - Category five Cyclone Innisfail. March 10th
Just after Mackay in January it was Innisfail's turn in March and only 12 houses in the town left standing and 100 people dead in the area.
2006 - Category four Cyclone Larry Innisfail. March 20th
Worst in three generations the BOM said and that is correct .. since 1918. 10,000 homes were damaged and crops were lost and the economic loss was around $1.5 Billion and no lives were lost.
2011 - Category five Cyclone Yasi at Far North Queensland at Mission Beach. February 3rd
Wind gusts estimated at 285 kilometres per hour. Yasi tracked 1000 kilometers inland to Mt Isa with the intensity of a tropical low over the next 20 hours.
Image of Innisfail March 10th 1918 Photo State Library of Queensland
The Cyclone is a large one and the weather reports show it tracking inland when it finally makes land fall and heading in sweeping southerly direction above or around Emerald.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Northern NSW will need to brace themselves as the rain sweeps down pushed by arctic winds from the south.
I have organized sandbags for the side of our shed from the local SES. My friend has already received an SMS warning from her insurance company to expect up to 400m of rain in this area where we are on the mountain. This is why I organized sandbags. One side of the shed is vulnerable and my furniture is in there. Better to do it now that when its too late.
UpDate 31st March 2017: Earlier this morning ... The omens were in the sky. The big birds ... lots of gigantic wings and then a heart. This is a personal omen and in past times it has always been death.
UpDate 3rd April 2017: 5 people dead and 3 still missing.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/queensland-cyclone-debbie-five-people-killed-in-horror-weather/news-story/1d2d9148a0f3e4500f4da13540d17628
Update from New Zealand 3rd April 2017 : The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debbie are threatening to develop into a serious situation in the next 72 hours
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11830617
Images @ Eminpee Fotography
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