Wild Weather hasn't finished with Australia yet; folks in southern Queensland were still bailing out their homes from the floods of December when Cyclone Anthony, with torrential rains and 150 kilometer per hour winds, hit the remaining northern regions. And now here comes Cyclone Yasi, possibly the biggest Cyclone ever to hit the state- Anthony's "big ugly sister'. Winds are expected to reach 260 kmph, with, yes, extremely heavy rains. Most recent storm track has Yasi hitting a wide front from Cooktown to Townsville, with Cairns in the middle.
-projected storm track-BBC: Australia prepares for Cyclone Anthony's 'big ugly sister'-Australia evacuates coastal cities in path of cyclone Feb 1: "Do not bother to pack bags. Just grab each other and get to a place of safety."-Queensland Premier Bligh. Wind gusts offshore reported at 200 miles per hour (320kph); Yasi is now a Category 5.
(BBC Report).
And speaking of record storms, in the US at the moment we are seeing an arctic whiteout blizzard stretching 2000 miles from Texas to Maine.
ReplyDelete"High winds and freezing rain turned roads into deadly ice rinks and knocked down trees and power lines. Forecasts warned of dangerously cold temperatures, blinding snow and massive drifts as high as six to eight feet...If you become stranded expect to spend the entire night in your vehicle as rescuers likely will not be able to reach you." read Mammoth Snowstorm...")