We are watching this one very closely!
Will be a very severe storm when it gets to the coast of Queensland late on Wednesday, (Tuesday USA time!).
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html
Although we did not get affected by the floods up here in Cairns this is the last thing Queensland needs right now!

Oh no! Australia has taken more than her share of weather poundings the last few years. Our best thoughts are with you and your country, Frank & Wendy

Cheers, Anne

Frank and Wendy, we'll be watching the storm. Let's hope it fizzles out before it gets anywhere near you. I agree with Anne, Australia has had enough weather related issues.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Bad news this morning. Cyclone is intensifying and heading our way!
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

It is a huge system and will be very nasty!

We will follow this. Keep safe!

So, I guess tomorrow would not be a good day to snorkle the barrier reef. ;)

Keep safe; hurricanes/typhoons are terrible things to experience; especially when they get so powerful that the wind can be as damaging as the water.

Question: With the Barrier Reef and water being relatively shallow so far from shore, do you get much of storm surge with typhoons?

Townsville is predicting that the surge could be 5 to 6 metres.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/01/31/204221_news.html

We have friends who live 5 houses from the beach at Townsville and their car is packed and they are ready to get out.
They are preparing to almost close the town down tomorrow when it strikes. Hospitals and Rest Homes have been evacuated .
All ports have been closed from Cairns down to Mackay, and the Whitsunday Islands have sent all their guests away and evacuated the Islands.
This ones a biggie.
Thoughts are with you all in Nth Queensland.

David, thanks for the information. I had forgotten that storms rotate in opposite direction; thus, I was surprised that surge would be so high in Townsville if storm came in near Cairns.

Hopefully storm weakens instead of strengthens as it nears the coast.

We live in South East Queensland on the coast and although a long way from the cyclone we will still feel the effects of it. Already today it is very still and humid and you can feel a 'tension' in the air. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that our fellow Queenslanders further north keep safe. It sure is scary. Thinking of you Frank and Wendy.

Now due here about 11pm on Wednesday evening which is around low tide thank goodness. Tracking right at us! Huge system.
Evacuations are happening. Hospitals closing and all being flown down to Brisbane tonight. We will get very strong winds from early tomorrow morning. We are on a hill so should not get affected by the surge. Everybody battening down. Just hope the house holds together! Very worrying. Will post again tomorrow if possible.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Dear Frank and Wendy, Just seeing CNN's overview of "Yasi" is scairy....it looks immense....prayers and good luck to everyone in Cairns,one of our favorite places.

Cyclone Yasi just upgraded to cat 5. and anticipated to cross land between Port Douglas and Townsville at midnight. Mass evacuatuions etc.This is a horror. Lots of anxious and worried people.

Frank and Wendy: What else is poor Queensland going to have to face? Thinking of you both - stay safe. Lee

Dear Frank and Wendy:

Thinking of you and hoping all is well. Stay safe,
and let us know when the storm passes.

Margo

From ABC (Australian Broadcast Network)
\Cairns is in lock-down and thousands of people are being ordered out of their homes in Townsville as the north Queensland cities prepare for category five Cyclone Yasi and major flooding.

This looks bad.....hope all stay safe

Doug

How horrible! Poor Queensland just can't catch a break. I hope everyone stays safe and doesn't suffer much damage to their homes.

Hi again from Cairns!
We battened down the house and decided our lives were more valuable than our home. We secured the house, packed all our precious belongings in car and headed inland. We went to a large school where our son in law is a manager. It has a huge very strong old convent building. We all spent the night on air matresses whilst the storm passed. Very strong winds and much rain but we were safe. Luckily the eye passed just south of Cairns so our house is ok. We returned home late today. The small towns south of us have been very badly hit but, amazingly, no reports of fatalities or serious injury. Speaks volumes for our disaster planning and preparation. Just heavy rain now with thunderstorms. We had 5.5 inches of rain in one hour this evening!
Thank you all for your thoughts.

Five and a half inches of rain in an hour!!!!!!

Great news that all LCTers have weathered the (act of God) Storm .... now the Kangaroo'ers can "storm" in

Thank you so much for checking in, Frank and Wendy. No fatalities or serious injury? That's great news. We're glad to hear your home survived. Is there anything we can do towards cyclone relief?

Cheers, Anne

Good news, Frank and Wendy. Nice to hear from you and I'm glad you and your home are safe.

Dena

So happy to hear you all are OK & hope the recovery for Queensland is a swift one. I live in a hurricane area so know how devastating these storms can be. Stay safe and dry.