Cyclone DEBBIE: Evacuations Ordered amid Threat of ‘Significant Tidal Surges’

Cyclone DEBBIE Bears Down on QLD Coast

Evacuations have been ordered in coastal towns and communities in north Queensland as Tropical Cyclone DEBBIE threatens to generate damaging tidal surges.

DEBBIE is forecast to cross the Queensland coast early on Tuesday morning with winds of up to 230 km/h and significant tidal surges.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warns that it could be the worst cyclone since Cat 5 YASI, which devastated the same region in 2011.

BOM satellite showing Cyclone Debbie’s approach on Sunday afternoon./www.abc.net.au/

Details of Tropical Cyclone DEBBIE at 1:00 am AEST (UTC + 10:00) on Monday, March 27, 2017 issued by BOM:

Intensity: Category 2, sustained winds near the center of 100 km/h with wind gusts to 150 km/hr.

Location: within 35km of 18.5 degrees South 150.6 degrees East, estimated to be 405km east northeast of Townsville and 300km northeast of Bowen.

Movement: west southwest at 6 km/h.

Tropical cyclone DEBBIE remains a category 2 cyclone. It is continuing to move WSW towards the north Queensland coast and is forecast to intensify to a category 3 system during Monday. Tropical cyclone DEBBIE is likely to continue on a similar track and may intensify further to category 4 prior to making landfall between Rollingstone and Proserpine on Tuesday morning. [BOM]

 

ITA Could Become another Super Cyclone to Remember

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
SUPER CYCLONIC FORCE
MASS EVACUATIONS 
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Super Cyclone ITA Closes in on NE Australia, Evacuations Ordered

ITA is packing powerful winds in Coral Sea, rapidly developing to the most powerful storm to hit Australia since Cyclone YASI in 2011, which caused widespread destruction, with the damage bill estimated at A$3.5 billion.

ITA is currently packing sustained winds of more than 240 km/h with maximum wind gusts of up to 300km/hr.

Several models show the Super Cyclone could intensify further reaching sustained winds of up to 260 km/h with max. wind gusts of 325 km/h before striking the coast.

FIRE-EARTH models show ITA could generate destructive storm surges and tidal waves of up to 20 meters high, which could extensively flood low-lying areas.

ITA Location
At 14:00 UTC on Thursday April 10,  2014

ITA was located over the northern Coral Sea near 12.9ºS, 146.2ºE moving at about 12 km/h the Queensland coast.

Super Cyclone ITA – IR-WV satellite image timed at 13:32UTC on April 10, 2014. Source UW-CIMSS.

Current Evacuations

Queensland Premier said the cyclone could affect about 9,000 people, including residents and visitors in Port Douglas, as Lizard Island, a  Great Barrier Reef resort about 240km north of Cairns confirmed it had evacuated all its guests on Thursday, said Reuters.

Deaths in the Solomon Islands

ITA battered the Solomon Islands late last week, while still a tropical depression, killing at least two dozen people near the capital, Honiara, and leaving dozens more missing and more than 10,000 homeless, after intense flash flooding.

Authorities declared a State of Emergency, and a local newspaper, the  Solomon Star,  said:“This is the worst disaster the nation has seen.” 

Related Links

• Cyclone ITA Intensifying April 8, 2014

• YASI TAIL BUFFETS VICTORIA Posted on February 5, 2011
• Cyclone YASI Rainfall Rates – Satellite Images Posted on February 4, 2011
• MEGA CYCLONE YASI CAUSING MUCH DESTRUCTION Posted on February 3, 2011
• YASI a Mega Cyclone Posted on February 2, 2011
• YASI Could Become Super Cyclone Posted on February 1, 2011
• YASI: If the ‘Devil’ Were a Cyclone Posted on January 31, 2011

Cyclone ITA Intensifying

SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN CORAL SEA
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Severe Tropical Cyclone ITA (23P) Targeting Northern Australia

Tropical Cyclone ITA could strengthen to a category 4A hurricane equivalent force, packing sustained winds of about 210km/h, with wind gusts of more than 250km/h, on its approach to northern Australia coastline.

At 06:00 UTC on April 8, 2014, the cyclone was  positioned at 11.8ºS, 152.9ºE  (+/- 35km), according to ABOM.

ITA was moving northwestward at about 5km/h.

Tropical Cyclone ITA (23P), WV Satellite Image (FIRE-EARTH ENHANCEMENT) at 08:32UTC on April 8, 2014.  Initial image sourced from UW/CIMSS.

Severe Tropical Cyclone ITA (23P) – Projected track Map. Source: ABOM

Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABOM) said:

SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE ITA, CATEGORY 3, remains south of Papua New Guinea and is about 1030 km east of Lockhart River, and 920 km east northeast of Cooktown. The system has moved slowly westwards over the past few hours.

Severe Tropical Cyclone ITA is expected to remain too far offshore to have a significant influence on the weather along the Queensland coast through until at least the end of Wednesday; however the threat is expected to increase later this week. 

Note:

A Severe Tropical Cyclone 3 on the Australian scale punches winds speeds equivalent to a category 1 hurricane .
A Severe Tropical Cyclone 4 on the Australian scale is equivalent to a category 2-3 hurricane.

Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Cyclone ULUI Rainfall Map

ULUI dumped more than 180 mm of rain along its path

TRMM’s rainfall estimates for the 1-week period March 15 to 22, 2010 for the central east coast of Queensland, Australia show that ULUI dumped more than 180 mm (~7 inches) of rain along its path. Source: SSAI/NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Cyclone ULUI was formed near Vanuatu in the South Pacific and reached a Category 5 strength with sustained winds of about 260 km/hr as it moved south of Solomon Islands. ULUI struck Whitsunday Islands, off the Australian coast, on March 21, 2010 at about 1:30 am local time with Category 3A hurricane strength (see FEWW New Hurricane Scale).

Related Links:

• TC ULUI Flood Map of Queensland
• ULUI – UPDATE – MAR 21
• TC ULUI – 2nd UPDATE – MAR 20
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 20

• TC ULUI: Mid-air refueling
• Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 18
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17
• Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia

• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 16
• Tropical Cyclone TOMAS
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI
• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 15

• Cyclones ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 14
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 13
• Tropical Cyclones Now Come in Pairs
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale