Australia cyclone upgraded to top threat level: forecasters

[Joanne98]

Source: Agence France-Presse

A huge cyclone barrelling towards Australia was Wednesday upgraded to the highest threat level as meteorologists warned it was shaping up to be the most life-threatening storm in generations.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi strengthened to a category five storm from category four as it menaced the country's populous east coast where it was set to hit late Wednesday or early Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.


Read more: http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4616842

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[canetoad]

1. Hell, they've taken a battering in Queensland lately

I know there is at least on DUer there, maybe more. Stay safe people.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Free tip for RepubliBaqger Reality Deniers

Shut up.

Just shut up.

No one wants to hear your corporate-sponsored lies (R).

[Esra Star]

3. This is the biggest cyclone to hit Australia in recorded history

The cyclone will be an upper range 5 and also the widest.
I'm in Brisbane around 1200 miles south and we are getting mild breezes.

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/national_radar_sat.loop.shtml


cheers

[jwirr]

6. Thank you. I was just about to ask how close this is to Brisbane, We

have a friend who lives in Brisbane.

[XemaSab]

8. So the areas that were flooded are pretty far south?

/ignorant about Australian geography

Stay safe!

[Matilda]

17. The worst of the floods were further south than the cyclone will be,

but the southern cities will probably experience some heavy winds from it, just to add to the problems they already have.

People are being evacuated from yesterday - also special flights out for pets too; I'm glad about that. They so often get forgotten.

We've had floods before, and cyclones too, but I can't recall them ever hitting right on top of each other like this.

Worst cyclone in my memory was Tracey, which demolished Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974; that was our worst to date.
They say this will be worse, and it's hard to imagine.

[XemaSab]

22. Stay safe

:(

[Matilda]

26. I'm in Sydney, and we've missed everything.

We've been fortunate - so far, not even bushfires, which we're often close to.

[Violet_Crumble]

38. Canberra's a pretty safe place to be as well. Plus our dams are now 100% full at last! n/t

[alfredo]

19. This map will update automatically

This one is going to leave nothing standing for miles inland. If you have friends and family anywhere near the projected path, urge them to leave.

[Esra Star]

20. The preparation has been extremely good.

All people in the zone know what to expect an when to expect it.
The evac centres are all occupied now and it's a case of sitting it out.

[alfredo]

25. Good. Hope the storm gives out before the beer gives out.

[xchrom]

4. Yeeesh! Nt

[defendandprotect]

5. Australia has been taking some very big hits over the last month or more...!!

[joshcryer]

7. Pic for scale:

[Delphinus]

12. Dayum!

It's almost as big as Australia itself!

[micraphone]

9. Get out now, north Queenslanders told

Landfall in 12 hours

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/4601757/Cyclone-Yasi-Get-out-now-north-Queenslanders-told

Edit to add that I have a brother, wife and 9 yo boy who were evacd out of Cairns a couple of hours ago...

[Delphinus]

13. I hope they stay safe,

micraphone. Sending prayers to all in that part of the world.

[micraphone]

15. Thankyou Delphinus

Staying in touch is not easy as cellphones only working intermittently there now...

[micraphone]

10. Yasi is Catriona sized, F5 hurricane - worst in OZ history

Live blog at Brisbane Times:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/cyclone-yasi-live-blog-20110202-1acsz.html

[cachukis]

11. Clockwise. Opposite of Florida where I live. Wow.

[anakie]

14. for live tv coverage

http://www.abc.net.au/news/abcnews24/

winds of up to 290 kmh (180mph) are expected and have already been recorded offshore at Willis Island - taking out the weather station there on it's way through.

They are also expecting a tidal surge of up to 6 metres (20+ feet) when it hits tonight at around 10pm (1200gmt) coinciding with a high tide.


Peace

[Bragi]

16. Thanks for that link!

I'm glad ABC again dropped its international firewall once again for this weather event. I'm in Canada, but I followed the earlier qld flooding quite closely. It's hard to believe that this general area was flooded by swollen river run-off of historic precipitation levels just weeks ago, and now it's about to get hit with maybe the largest cyclonic storm ever recorded there.

Sometimes you can't make shit up weirder than reality. To quote well-known reality-denier Sarah Palin, WTF?

At any rate, my thoughts and best wishes are with the people about to be hit with this storm. If any are reading this, may you weather it all, as well as possible, in the circumstance. Better still, may you be missed by it entirely.

[anakie]

18. I didn't realise that the ABC

didn't broadcast worldwide. What's the point of streaming on the web otherwise. Another good link to look at is the weather radar site from Cairns

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR192.loop.shtml

and for local FNQ radio broadcast

http://www.abc.net.au/emergency/cyclone/yasi/

This storm is so powerful it will still be a Category 3 cyclone 350km (220miles) inland.

Fortunately I am well away from it in SE Queensland.


Peace

[Bragi]

21. Some spectacular cyclone visuals here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5gWtEGaUEo&feature=player_embedded#

[XemaSab]

24. Holy shit! When did Jodie Foster become the PM?

:shrug:

[Odin2005]

23. This storm is a monster, Christ Almighty!

These folks don't need any more rain, now a super-cane is coming!

[anakie]

27. The latest warning issued about 30 mins ago

At 4:00 pm EST Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, Category 5 was estimated to be 250
kilometres east of Cairns and 275 kilometres north northeast of Townsville and
moving west southwest at 35 kilometres per hour.

SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE YASI IS A LARGE AND VERY POWERFUL TROPICAL CYCLONE AND
POSES AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY WITHIN THE WARNING AREA,
ESPECIALLY BETWEEN CAIRNS AND TOWNSVILLE.

DURING THE EVENING, THE VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE OF CYCLONE YASI WILL CROSS THE
COAST BETWEEN CAIRNS AND INGHAM, ACCOMPANIED BY A DANGEROUS STORM TIDE SOUTH OF
THE CYCLONE CENTRE.

Tropical Cyclone Yasi, CATEGORY 5, will continue to move in a west-southwesterly
direction. The cyclone is expected to cross the coast between Innisfail and
Cardwell about 11 pm EST.

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQP0005.txt


with a central pressure of 922hpa. That's hugh!!


peace

[Violet_Crumble]

28. This gives some idea of how massive the cyclone is...

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/how-cyclone-yasi-compares-around-the-world/story-fn7ik2te-1225998762870

[Matilda]

29. It's so hard to imagine just what it will be like.

And harder to believe there are those who still don't think this is part of global climate change.

[joshcryer]

30. +1

[suffragette]

31. That's intense

Best hopes to all there.

[Matilda]

32. The Seven Network has a countdown to Yasi.

They are sick.

[Skittles]

33. they must be your version of our Fox News

stay safe Matilda my sweet

[Matilda]

34. That would be Murdoch's Sky News.

But all our free to air stations are right-wing.

Only public broadcasting has anything resembling a liberal slant.

[Skittles]

35. I live in Texas

I know the feeling :(

[canetoad]

36. Latest radar.

You can just make out the outline of Queensland coast at bottom left. What a monster.



Edited to add link to full size MTSAT IR Colorized Loop. http://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shirgmscol.html

[Violet_Crumble]

37. Too late to flee as Yasi closes in

Premier Anna Bligh has warned north Queensland residents that it is too late to evacuate ahead of "catastrophic" Cyclone Yasi.

Wind gusts in excess of 100 kilometres per hour have already begun buffeting parts of the coast as Yasi closes in, and parts of the Solomon Islands are also set to be battered.

Ms Bligh says people in affected areas must shelter where they currently are, with conditions now too dangerous to travel in.

"No-one should be leaving home now. The time for movement and evacuation has now passed," she said.

Ms Bligh says the category five system is the "most catastrophic storm ever seen" in the state and will pack winds of up to 295 kilometres per hour.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/02/3128176.htm



Nervous wait: a family outside an emergency cyclone shelter after it was declared full (Reuters: Tim Wimborne)

[anakie]

39. Cyclone baby girl born in Cairns evacuation centre

Amid the chaos and devastation of Cyclone Yasi, a yet-to-be named baby girl has been born at a Cairns evacuation centre.

Akiko Pruss went into labour at the evacuation centre at Redlynch State College at 2.45am (AEST).

The baby girl was delivered healthy at 6.09am (AEST) after a three hour labour.

Akiko and her German husband Christian, live in Cairns, and the baby will be their second child.

Cairns councillor Linda Cooper said the baby would not be called Yasi.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/cyclone-baby-girl-born-in-cairns-evacuation-centre-20110203-1ae49.html


It is just after first light now, so far no deaths but lots of destruction. People are still being asked to stay indoors until authorities can assess the damage. But so far so good.


Peace

[Matilda]

41. And two more in Innisfail.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/03/3128501.htm


Nobody has died, and life goes on.

[Roland99]

40. It's been downgraded to a Cat 2.

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQP0005.txt