These guys with the live webcam in Townsville are storm chasers. Very brave or very foolish.

TV coverage is showing alot of cute young backpackers stuck in Cairns and Townsville. They said they should have thought of leaving earlier. Alot of them are from Europe.
 
Cyclone Yasi: worst cyclones in history

The flood-ravaged Australian state of Queensland is in the path of Cyclone Yasi, a "life-threatening" category five storm.

Here is a list of the most deadly cyclones in history:

1. Bhola Cyclone
In November 1970, 500,000 people were killed when the Bhola Cyclone hit what is now Bangladesh. The storm was formed from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nora, which raged for two days in the South China Sea. At its peak, the cyclone had winds of 115mhp. In India, a 5,500-ton freighter was sunk by the massive amounts of rain caused by the cyclone. East Pakistan lost over $65 million (£40m) worth of crops and cattle and 85 per cent of homes were destroyed.

2. Indian Cyclone
In 1839 a powerful cyclone struck India, killing 300,000 people.

The entire city of Coringa was flattened by a 40ft storm surge and more than 20,000 vessels at sea were completely destroyed. Coringa was never rebuilt.

3. The Calcutta Cyclone
There are few records about this cyclone, but the weather system is known to have killed 300,000 people and destroyed 20,000 ships when it hit Calcutta in 1737. It was originally reported in Europe to be an earthquake, but a duties collector for the British East India Company wrote in his official report that a storm and flood had destroyed nearly all the thatched buildings and killed thousands of the city's inhabitants.

4. The 1975 Super Typhoon Nina
The Super" Typhoon Nina was one of the largest recorded typhoons in history and the second most deadly hurricanes in the Pacific. The short-lived but intense storm began in the Philippine Sea and on July 31 began to move towards China. The highest recorded wind speed at 155mph. Although it missed most of the major cities in Asia, the death toll reached 210,000. The storm caused US$1.bn in damage and caused 62 dams to fail and massive temporary lakes to form.

5. The Great Backerganj Cyclone
In 1876 this cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal. Its maximum wind speed recorded was at over 136mph and the largest storm surge was 45ft. The cyclone killed around 200,000 people and the property damage was massive. The storm also caused famine and epidemic.

6. Cyclone Nargis
In May 2008 Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, packing winds of up to 133mph.
As it slowly travelled over the country, 1.5 million people were affected. The Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80,000 dead, with about 10,000 more deaths in Bogale. An estimated total of 146,000 people died. Relief efforts were slowed for political reasons as Burma's military rulers initially resisted large-scale international aid.

7. The Bangladesh Cyclone
On the night of April 29, 1991, the southern part of Bangladesh, Chittagong, was hit my a powerful Cyclone., with wind speeds of up to 160 mph. At least 138,000 people died in the storm, with most of the deaths in the southern part of Bangladesh. Most of the people drowned, including children and the elderly. The storm caused over $1.5bn in damage to the surrounding areas.

8. The Bombay Cyclone
Little is known about this cyclone, that hit Bombay in 1882, killing 100,000 people.

9. The Swatow Typhoon
The Swatow Typhoon was first spotted July 27 near the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The typhoon moved slowly north as it intensified. In August the typhoon hit the Chinese city of Swatow with the winds blowing at 100mph. The water levels as the storm hit were 12ft above normal and left the land saturated with water many days after. Nearly 50,000 people were taken as the storm swept over Swatow.
The total death toll was around 60,000 people.

10. Calcutta Cyclone
On October 5, a powerful cyclone hit near Calcutta, India, killing around 60,000 people. Over 100 brick homes and tens of thousands of tiled and straw huts were leveled. Most ships in the harbor (172 out of 195) were either damaged or destroyed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...5/Cyclone-Yasi-worst-cyclones-in-history.html
 
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After reading all that, its amazing there are so many people up there who have decided to stay and ride out the storm.:pass out:
 
Cyclone to hit around midnight

Cyclone has slowed to 25 km/hr but that means they will stay over buildings longer and cause more destruction. Water surges may not be as high.

 

I can't believe how fast these videos are appearing on Youtube. Alot of busy people watching the storm.
 
Massive Cyclone Yasi crosses coast:shock:
Staff reporters
February 3, 2011 - 1:11AM
Townsville's Yasi nightmare begins
Explosive sounds, torrential rain and a wind roar like a jet engine as Cyclone Yasi starts to batter Townsville.
Cyclone crosses coast at midnight (AEST)
Power cuts spread across state's north
Strong winds batter North Queensland
Tides could surge up to 7m
Residents bunkering down in homes
Wind speeds nearly 300km/h recorded
Category 5 cyclone has crossed the North Queensland coast between Innisfail and Cardwell, bringing with it dangerous storms and battering waves to the south of the massive storm's centre.

Almost 90,000 homes are now without power in north Queensland, including the entire Townsville CBD, as the effects of Cyclone Yasi continue to mount.

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/weather/massive-cyclone-yasi-crosses-coast-20110201-1acgp.html
 
Horrible situation :unreal:

I had no idea such powerful tropical cyclones could hit Australia, it's because of La Nina in the Pacific, very warm water like tea.
 
Well what can I say. no deaths no casualties. Lots of property destroyed. Lucky people. How come the same type of storm causes so many deaths in asia?

 
Several people are reported missing, I think it's too early to say.
 
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