North Queensland Hold On To Your Hats!

[jonesfam]

To any & all Folks on he North Queensland East Coast, all the best & stay Safe.

Jonesfam

[Bearman]

To any & all Folks on he North Queensland East Coast, all the best & stay Safe.

Jonesfam

Thanks mate, we are not in the direct path but are going to cop some pretty high winds. They are reasonably strong already and I have spent the morning cleaning up around the yard and securing any loose items. Hopefully the poor buggers around Townsville to Bowen will get through it without any fatalities, it looks like it could even get to Cat 5 before landfall. Alva Beach near Ayr is ground Zero at this stage but that could change over the 24 hrs.

[carlschmid2002]

I am in Canberra now but my Mum lives in Mossman and I have a lot of friends in Townsville. I think my Mum will be fine but Townsville might be set for a direct hit.

[cuppabillytea]

My Sister Christine has a new Cane Farm in Townsville. She's only had one harvest so far. Would She have planted the next one yet? I'd better give her a shout hey?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Doesnt look good---
Queensland BOM weather radar loop (http://www.eldersweather.com.au/radar/qld/)

[cafe latte]

My friend lives in Aye, he was quite stressed yesterday, it really is not looking good. The last track map shows it slightly south of Aye, but it could easily be a direct path again in the next update. I just hope is passed between major centers to limit the impact.
Here is last update.. Tropical Cyclone Forecast Track Map Page (1) (http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml)
Chris

[harro]

latest update has it as a cat 3 and drifting further south, possibly Bowen.

Also should reach cat 4 and quite possibly cat 5.

Not looking good..

[DiscoMick]

Certainly looking nastier by the hour. I hope the people who have been asked to evacuate take the advice and get out. No point in staying.
Pretty tough on the cane farmers, who I heard are only about six weeks from harvesting and might lose their crops.
I wouldn't like to have a boat moored in the river at Mackay right now.

Incidentally, I see the reason the cyclone is getting worse as it approaches the shore is the water is warmer closer to shore, particularly since global warming got going, so that makes the cyclone worse.

Winds already gusting to 165 km/h and expected to reach 250 km/h. Not much people who stay can do about winds that high except stay in shelter and ride it out.

256 km Bowen Radar Loop (http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR242.loop.shtml#skip)

[Pedro_The_Swift]

and if you look closely at that link,,
you can see all the pretty Islands,,,,,,

[V8Ian]

She's a fair sized blow.

121080

[DiscoMick]

Hamilton Island is copping it.

[V8Ian]

Debbie does Hamilton? [bigwhistle]

[roverrescue]

49kn gusts at Hay Point - Hold on Brian (Bearman)
Hope you have plenty of rum - it's gonna be a long long night
Good luck fella

Steve

[Bearman]

Thanks Steve, Have gulped a couple already and going to hit the sack shortly. Have done all I can to minimize any damage from loose items in my yard but the biggest problem I have is a derelict house in the adjoining block upwind from me that will probably fall apart if we get a big gust or a tree drops on it. Hopefully my shed will absorb most of the impact before it hits the house if that happens. Will be up super early in the morning before it crosses the coast.[bigsmile1]
We have been thru worse than this before so hopefully it won't change course overnight. I feel for the poor buggers around Dingo Beach, Cape Gloucester area.

[ATH]

Let's hope people stay safe during this. I've no real experience at all of the sheer hell it must be going through such high winds but did work at Koolan Island WA many years ago when we had a cyclone alert.
Meetings were held with the workers and others living there, all the do's and don'ts explained, emergency rations issued.... and I bet 90% of them were eaten before the drongos got back to their rooms! [bigsmile1]
AlanH.

[DiscoMick]

It would be great if it turned into a fizzer, but it's not looking that way.

[Bytemrk]

Hope all our AULRO friends up there stay safe...... it's not looking nice..[bigsad]

[harro]

Now a cat 4 and still 200klms off the coast.

[carlschmid2002]

My Sister Christine has a new Cane Farm in Townsville. She's only had one harvest so far. Would She have planted the next one yet? I'd better give her a shout hey?
They only actually replant sugar cane every few years. It usually grows back from when they cut it. They cutting season or crushing starts in June and goes through November/December. This time of year the cane is vulnerable because it is basically fully grown in size and heavy and gets destroyed by high winds and heavy rain. Cyclones this late are particularly damaging to the sugar industry.

[DiscoMick]

Parked over Hayman Island at the moment. 195mm of rain in an hour at Proserpine. 200 kmh winds. And it hasn't fully hit the coast yet. It's just sucking up warm water from the ocean and getting worse and worse. Scary.

[Homestar]

Hope everyone is safe. Looks like hitting land just south of Bowen. The storm surge looks like it could be quite bad.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/general-chat/121110d1490664485-north-queensland-hold-your-hats-image.jpg

[Eevo]

i'm sure it will all blow over soon...

[DiscoMick]

I saw video of a yacht which broke its moorings at Hamilton Island and took off towards Shute Harbour.

[V8Ian]

I saw video of a yacht which broke its moorings at Hamilton Island and took off towards Shute Harbour.
In other words, it Shuted though. [wink11]

[DiscoMick]

Someone I know owns a house there which is OK, but all the trees around the house are now lying on the ground, knocked down by the winds.
Already been one death of a female driver.

[ATH]

I've got a bro with property on Hamilton Isl. I'll have to ask him how it went.
AlanH.

[carlschmid2002]

Someone I know owns a house there which is OK, but all the trees around the house are now lying on the ground, knocked down by the winds.
Already been one death of a female driver.
Unfortunately I feel there may be more. I just wish people would stay indoors. My mate in Mackay is drinking rum and ginger beer by candlelight. (Dark and Stormy)

[pop058]

Unfortunately I feel there may be more. I just wish people would stay indoors. My mate in Mackay is drinking rum and ginger beer by candlelight. (Dark and Stormy)

Seems quite appropriate considering the situation [bigsmile1]

[DiscoMick]

Three days without power is tough in Bowen.

[cuppabillytea]

Thanks for sharing Queensland. Spent the first few hours of night shift running storm lines.
Although by comparison it's just a storm in a tea cup.

[d2dave]

I just got through it. Friday night I left Brisbane for Cairns. Made it back to Rockhampton on Sunday night where I had to park up for a mandatory 24 hour break.

I then just beat the floods getting from Brisbane to home as I only got home last night.

[Bearman]

Still no power here as yet, hopefully back by Sunday! Last I heard there are 55,000 households around here still without power. At least it has cleared up now and things are starting to dry out.

[jboot51]

I have been in mackay since thursday fixing the power network.
Most of mackay will be back on as of this morning.
We are heading to proserpine today to do what we can to help out.
Dont know how long before we get to go home.
Atleast the rain has stayed away.

[V8Ian]

Rocky, hang onto your gummies. I wish everyone there well.

[cuppabillytea]

Strewth 9 Meters:woot:. If I lived there I'd build my house on a barge. Stay safe all those in Rocky.

[cuppabillytea]

Oh, by the way, my sisters cain was flattened, but she's otherwise OK. She's pretty stoic that one.

[DiscoMick]

Tough up there. 😎
I see on the Teev the bull statue on the roundabout might be flooded soon.