Some defiant residents have vowed to stay at home as Queensland braces for its the biggest cyclone in five years. Winds could reach 240 kilometers per hour and the tide could swell two and half meters above normal.
Image: Getty Images/I. Hitchcock
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Thousands of Australians were forced to evacuate their homes as a powerful tropical cyclone advanced on coastal Queensland on Monday.
State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned it would be the most powerful storm to hit the country since 2011, when Cyclone Yasi caused damage estimated at AU$3.5 billion (2.6 billion euros or US$3.6 billion at the time).
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said Debbie would likely strengthen to a Category 4 storm before it makes landfall in the north-eastern state. Cyclone Yasi was a Category 5 storm.
A storm surge could push tides 4 meters (13 feet) higher than normal, causing floodingImage: Getty Images/I. Hitchcock
German tourist dies
A 31-year-old German tourist died in a car crash on Monday caused by cyclonic conditions near Proserpine, police said.
"The Whitsunday Times" reported a pickup truck with a trailer T-boned a white Toyota Corolla carrying two German passengers. The second passenger was taken to Proserpine hospital, along with one of the truck occupants.
Thousands evacuated
About 3,500 people fled low-lying townships near Townsville, with authorities advising a further 2,000 people in the town of Bowen to also leave, Palaszczuk said.
"This is going to be a nasty cyclone," Palaszczuk told Nine Network television. "These wind gusts are going to be absolutely huge."
She pleaded with the residents to comply with evacuation orders, saying, "The window of opportunity to leave is drastically closing."
"For those in the path of Cyclone Debbie, please take care and stay safe. If you have received an official evacuation order, you and your family must leave immediately," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.
Many residents resisted calls to leave, staying behind to protect homes and shops with sandbags and plywood boards.
"We'll just give it a go and rally together," Cungulla resident Mike Kennedy told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
One resident painted a defiant message on his fence. Not seen is the rest of the message: "Bowen is not a pussy town. Do your best."Image: Reuters/AAP/S. Motherwell
Destructive core
The BOM warned winds in the "very destructive core" of the tropical cyclone could reach 240 kph (150 mph) as it hit land between Ayr and Cape Hillsborough north of Mackay at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Gales were already lashing the tourist resorts at Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands on Monday. Authorities warned of flooding caused by up to 500mm (20 inches) and tides up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) higher than the normal high tide mark.
The Abbot Point coal terminal and ports at Mackay and Hay Point were closed due to the storm, ports spokeswoman Fiona Cunningham said, while BHP Billiton and Glencore suspended operations near the cyclone's expected path.
Townsville Airport was closed and airlines Qantas, Jetstar, Rex and Virgin Australia all said they had cancelled several flights to and from the region scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
aw/rc (Reuters, dpa)
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
