Huge Cyclone Heading for Queensland

[barbk]

I had no idea -- this sounds dreadful -- Cyclone Yasi is projected to be as strong as Katrina, heading straight for Cairns, landfall expected Wed. AM EST:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41363738/ns/weather/

[Badams]

I saw this on the news. I feel terrible for the people of Queensland. They have been through too much already, this will be absolutely devastating.

[Civic]

Is a cyclone the same as a hurricane in Australia? In the U.S. the word "cyclone" is a synonym for "tornado".

[HisWeirness]

Is a cyclone the same as a hurricane in Australia? In the U.S. the word "cyclone" is a synonym for "tornado".

NOAA has a FAQ for that. I love FAQs.

The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone". A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation.

If winds reach 33 m/s (64 kt, 74 mph), then they are called:

"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
"severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E)
"severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

Anyway, my thoughts are with the Australians who have been dealing with a seriously nasty Mother Nature lately.

[Anita18]

Yechhh they can't catch a break!

[Aussie Willy]

Mother Nature is just f*cked here lately. Particularly in Queensland.

[Angelskates]

Record 6.6m wave recorded off Townsville

According to the latest information from energy companies, 61,000 homes in far north Queensland have lost power.

Bligh urged Australians to prepare to see "scenes of devastation on an unprecedented scale".

"We will all have to brace for this," she warned.

"It will take all of our strength to overcome it."

"This cyclone is like nothing we have dealt with before as a nation."

The premier said the destructive core of the cyclone is now approaching with wind gusts of up to 300km/h.

She said the core is 150km wide — five times the size of Cyclone Larry.

((((((Queensland))))))

[Garden Kitty]

One of the Australian cyclists tweeted this link showing how the typhoon would look if it were landing in other parts of the world, just to show its size

[skatemommy]

That is a mean nasty looking storm. Take care down under.

[Rex]

Batten down the hatches, kids. We'll be prayin' for you.

[NancyNC]

One of the Australian cyclists tweeted this link showing how the typhoon would look if it were landing in other parts of the world, just to show its size

(((((Queensland)))))

[BittyBug]

Mother nature is definitely showing her might lately. I can't recall in my lifetime ever having so much extreme and devastating weather like we've had this past year throughout the world - droughts, floods, heat waves, blizzards, etc. I hope this storm will end up being weaker than anticipated.

[NeilJLeonard]

What's the latest word on this storm?


NJL

[skipaway]

Terror, Ruin, but no Deaths in Ferocious Cyclone (((Queensland)))

[skatesindreams]

My prayers are with all affected.

[barbk]

Great news on the safety of people, and great job Queenslanders on getting to safe places to ride out the storm.

But recovering from this is going to be long and painful, and I imagine even worse since so much of the rest of the state is still recovering from flood damage. I hope that the clean water supplies will be adequate, and that they're able to restore power. I can't imagine the stresses being placed on the aid organizations.

Aussie Willy -- is there a group like the Salvation Army that provides immediate services for disaster victims in the area? I'd like to donate, but I'm not sure what makes sense in Australia. (When my folks were hit with two bad hurricanes in a row it was the Salvation Army that brought around drinking water, ice, a hot meal every day, tarps, and other things that made it possible to clean up while the power and water systems were out for weeks. The Red Cross was in a lot of the tv images, but it was the Salvation Army that stuck it out through the weeks and weeks of disaster recovery.)

[*Jen*]

The Salvation Army do operate in Australia, and there is also a direct government appeal specifically for disaster relief.

I'm sure you could find more if you google.

It's wonderful of you to donate. Thank you!

[Aussie Willy]

The impact of this cyclone has been felt right across Australia. Tonight in Melbourne we had torrential downpours with lots of flooding across the city. Due to the cyclone weather system. We are kind of lucky here though in that it does drain away pretty quickly.

The big problem in Victoria is these large rainfalls are going to impact on areas that are still flooded. So we can expect more problems in the country parts of this state.

[barbk]

The Salvation Army do operate in Australia, and there is also a direct government appeal specifically for disaster relief.

I'm sure you could find more if you google.

It's wonderful of you to donate. Thank you!

Thank you -- I found that the Salvation Army website in the US has a lovely feature -- you can make the donation here, but specify that you'd like the funds to help with a specific disaster -- I just entered it as Queensland flooding/cyclone relief.