Cyclone Yasi

[Feuer Frei!]

This is a big one, moving towards the coast of Far North Queensland, due to hit coast sometime late Wednesday evening, early Thursday morning.
The cyclone is currently a category 3, with wind gusts up to 220 kph, moving at a westerly direction at 35 kph.

Issued at 11:12 AM.



Edit:
New update issued at 1:59pm

The trajectory has changed, ever so slightly.

I live in Townsville, was thinking of getting in the car and heading south to Yeppoon to avoid the bulk of the onslaught, however people are evacuating from all over the far north coast region, traffic will be a major problem.

Predictions are that the cyclone will hit category 4 before land fall, which is massive.
AUTHORITIES will evacuate two hospitals in Cairns as Cyclone Yasi approaches, with the air force to take patients to hospitals in safe areas.
AIRLINES are putting on extra flights to evacuate tourists and residents as Cyclone Yasi approaches.



Problem is, i have to go to work tonight, won't finish until 10pm, then home to make final preperations for the onslaught.
Looks like i'm gonna try to sit this one out.
I seriously hope the idiots at work are going to close up shop Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, since the schools are closing for those 3 days, which has already been confirmed.
I wish everyone that lives in the danger zone good luck, Queenslanders are tough, we will get through this as well.

[Gargamel]

Good luck Mate.

Check in when you can.

[Feuer Frei!]

Thanks Gargamel.
Latest reports are that Cairns will 'cop' the full brunt of this monster, with predictions of 2 mtr. storm surge in some parts of Cairns when Yasi hits.
The initial prediction was of 6 mtr storm surges!
2 mtrs, 6 mtrs., no matter how you slice and dice it, this is going to be terrible.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Sorry mate didn't see it. Good luck and hope you and yours are all OK. This one looks like it could be worse than Larry. How did you fare with that one?

No probs.
So far we are ok, the cyclone hasn't hit yet, we are preparing as best as we can, i'm just worried, like a lot of us here.
With Larry, i was lucky enough not to experience that devastation, having been interstate.
Yea, this is consideredd to be the worst cyclone Queensland has ever seen/experienced.
Larry was a low category 5, Yasi will be a 4 but this thing is a monster, the eye is 100 klm wide, and 500 klm wide all up!
Huge.
And the expected wind gusts will be in the range of 250 klm per hr to over 300!
Devastating power.

[Reece]

I didn't realize you lived in Townsville, you have certainly been through a bit lately, I wish you all the best, if it does hit will you evacuate or see it through? do you have a basement or somewhere safe to hold out?

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Reece

I didn't realize you lived in Townsville, you have certainly been through a bit lately, I wish you all the best, if it does hit will you evacuate or see it through? do you have a basement or somewhere safe to hold out?

Yea, i think i will see it out, i live in a 2-story Queenslander-style house, with a garage d/stairs, however i can't get my car in there as the other 2 occupants are taking the spots.
So my car will be on the side of the road, hopefully it'll be ok.
As for the house, i'm really not sure if it will hold up to a 200+ klm/hr wind battering.
All these older style houses have dam tin roofing, but i think even in those kind of cyclonic winds, tiles would not be much good either.
Some low-lying areas here are being evacuated, with door-knocks beginning at 5am tomorrow, due to the expected storm surges. Luckily, we are not in one of those areas affected.
The cyclone is moving on a south-south-westerly heading, which means it's 'lining up' Cairns with surrounding areas getting the edges of it. But with this sucker, 'getting the edges of it' means you may as well be near the centre of it because of it's hugeness.
Scary stuff this, you listen to people talk about this cyclone and they are really worried, some scared. These are people who have experienced Cyclone Larry and numerous others, so they are 'hardened' people.
Means a lot when those sorts of people get worried.
I'll be watching the Bureau of Meteorology updates continuously, because these cyclones can change course rapidly.
Fingers and legs crossed.

[Growler]

Christ, lad. Keep your head down. Even subs dive in that kind of weather.

PLEASE be safe, you and everyone with you.

[Jimbuna]

Best of luck....as if the west coast of Aussie hasn't had enough to put up with already

[Feuer Frei!]

Thank you gents.
The latest news is that this could well turn into a category 5 cyclone, bigger that Cyclone Tracey, which wiped out Darwin in 1974.
Estimated wind speeds currently as a category 4 are 280klm/hr at it's centre, with a category 5 reaching 300 klm/hr.
As i said previously Cairns, approx 3.5 hours north of Townsville will bear the brunt of this, however because of it's huge size, where i live will still be at the mercy of this behemoth.

[TarJak]

Its looking like a nasty one:http://www.smh.com.au/environment/we...201-1ac5o.html

Got upgraded to Cat 5 overnight! +300km/h winds are not healthy.

[THE_MASK]

300kph = 186 mph for the american friends .

[THE_MASK]

320 kph now = 200mph

[Growler]

F-in' 'ell.

Thoughts with all of you.

[Jimbuna]

Brace for a basum people

[Reece]

If it's going to be a cat 5 I would get the F out of there!!