Yasi, Katrina-Sized Australia Cyclone, To Make Landfall Thursday

A Katrina-sized cyclone is bearing down on Australia and is expected to make landfall Thursday.

*See Image Below"

Just weeks after the country was devastated by incredible flooding, Cyclone Yasi, now a category 5 cyclone, is bearing down on Australia. The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the Eastern islands Wednesday, eventually hitting the mainland on Thursday, according to the Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology.

Yasi is moving in a west-southwesterly direction towards the North Queensland coast. The storm has tremendous potential for destruction and will likely cause damaging waves, strong currents, and flooding of low lying areas as tides rise far above normal.

According to the bureau, gusts could reach as much as 170 kph, or about 106 mph.

From the Bureau of Meteorology:

DAMAGING winds with gusts to 90 km/hr are expected to develop on the islands during Wednesday morning, then extend onto the coast during the day, and further inland across southern Cape York Peninsula and north of Charters Towers overnight.

Between Cooktown and Townsville these winds will become DESTRUCTIVE with gusts in excess of 125km/hr late Wednesday afternoon, and VERY DESTRUCTIVE with gusts ABOVE 170km/hr between Port Douglas and Cardwell during the evening as the cyclone approaches.

UPDATE: Yasi is currently a category 5 cyclone as it begins to hit the outer islands, but is expected to be a category 3 storm by the time it hits mainland Australia. For more on the expected path of the cyclone, click here for the Bureau of Meteorology.

UPDATE: See a more detailed image of the cyclone below, courtesy NASA Goddard Space Flight Center below.

For more amazing images of the world's most severe storms, click here.

Comments

[chafuncta]

12:23 PM on 02/03/2011

It's interesting that cyclones rotate counter clockwise down under, while hurricanes rotate clockwise up here. I wonder if that makes a difference in the power of the beast?

[PatriotPaul]

04:19 AM on 02/03/2011

No doubt many comparisons between Yasi and Hurricane Katrina will be made but there are huge differences. As a tourist stuck in the Superdome it's important to me that these distinctions be made.

Australians had more time to evacuate than New Orleanians and Gulf Coast residents. Authorities shut down the New Orleans Airport, Amtrak, and Greyhound PRIOR to the evacuation. Many of us were stranded. IN contrast, Australia added extra flights out during the evacuation.

Katrina hit landfall along the Miss. Gulf Coast as a category 3 storm. It devastated that area, however most of the deaths in New Orleans were caused by the failed Army Corps of Engineers' levees, and of course we all are aware of the poor response by FEMA, etc.

My heart goes out to those in Oz and those still rebuilding in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Paul Harris
Author, "Diary From the Dome, Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina"

[tenderlung]

07:04 PM on 02/02/2011

There are currently no known fatalities. I'm not religious, but I feel thankful. To the universe, I suppose.

[dkj2808]

04:29 PM on 02/02/2011

Cyclone Yasi downgraded to category 2.

http://danieljames.com.au/cyclone-yasi/

[susie1776]

03:35 PM on 02/02/2011

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Queensland especially after what they have already been through. I'm confident the "Aussie" spirit will sustain them. Aussies are special people.

[dkj2808]

03:35 PM on 02/02/2011

Fortunately the major centre of Cairns missed the full brunt of Yasi. There are reports of damage but not devastation at this stage. http://danieljames.com.au/cyclone-yasi/

[dkj2808]

03:28 PM on 02/02/2011

Early reports are that while there are scenes of devastation in the North Queensland Towns of Mission Beach and Tully where the cyclone made land fall. Thankfully no reports of deaths,

http://danieljames.com.au/cyclone-yasi

[NanaMex]

02:53 PM on 02/02/2011

People in the cyclone zone will be waking up now. I shall leave updates and commentary to them and take myself off to bed. Here's pulling for everyone to come through this with their lives and homes in tact.

'ave a good one!

[NanaMex]

02:48 PM on 02/02/2011

From the ABC:

"Amid the chaos of Cyclone Yasi, a baby is being born at an evacuation centre in Cairns. Councillor Linda Cooper says Akiko Pruss went into labour just before 3am. Today's actually her due date. She's doing really well.

And no, the parents will not be calling the child Yasi."

[rgateman]

02:14 PM on 02/02/2011

Living in south Florida I certainly sympathize with the people in the path of this storm.

[NanaMex]

01:57 PM on 02/02/2011

Larry 'a boy' compared to devastating Yasi

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/03/3128470.htm

[NanaMex]

01:55 PM on 02/02/2011

BOM has downgraded Yazi to a cat 3.

[NanaMex]

01:54 PM on 02/02/2011

More than 170,000 properties in the path of Yazi are now without power, according to the ABC. Watch/listen live at: http://www.abc.net.au/news

[PenFighter]

01:41 PM on 02/02/2011

You know, I read this story, and it's about a giant Cat 5 cyclone (a Cat 5 hurricane with opposite rotation) coming in on already rain-sodden Queensland, like they needed more. The story evokes empathy and sympathy from me, not a fierce desire to make it about my pet talking point. Global warming is happening IMHO, and unsettling, but maybe the debate about global warming could wait till AFTER this storm trashes Queensland again, don't you think?

[NanaMex]

01:49 PM on 02/02/2011

From your mouth to their ears.

[hogtown]

06:20 PM on 02/02/2011

Ahhhh..... decency is alive and well. We need more of this. F&F