02.02.11

Category 5 Yasi Makes Landfall

Posted in Non-US Weather, Tropical Weather at 10:24 am by Rebekah

Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi (equivalent of a Cat. 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) made landfall near Mission Beach, between Innisfail and Cardwell, Queensland about an hour and a half ago (12:30 am local time).

Here is a summary of the cyclone’s landfall and expected impacts.

12-hr infrared satellite loop of Yasi nearing the Queensland Coast, from the Bureau of Meteorology (click to enlarge)

Stats around landfall:

• Maximum sustained 10-minute wind speed: 127 mph (202 kph)
• Maximum 3-second wind gust: 178 mph (285 kph)
• Central pressure: 930 mb
• Maximum storm surge: 30 ft (9 m)

1-hr radar loop showing Yasi making landfall, from Weatherzone (click to enlarge)

Meteogram (history of weather) for Lucinda Point over the last 24 hours, from Weatherzone…note the spike in temperature, dewpoint, and rain as the eye passes over (click to enlarge)

Meteogram for Lucinda Point over the last 24 hours, from Weatherzone…note the drop (and subsequent rise) in pressure and the peak in winds as the eye passes over…the lowest pressure recorded was 977 mb, the highest wind was 135 kph (84 mph), and the highest wind gust was 185 kph (116 mph) (click to enlarge)

Latest forecast track and intensity for Yasi, as of 2 am local time, from the Bureau of Meteorology (click to enlarge)

Even once the winds slow down some, Yasi will bring a lot of rain to northeastern Queensland; the cyclone also looks like it will stall for a bit in the mountains, allowing even more rain to fall. Models show that the area could receive as much as a foot of rain, and some localized areas could even receive 2 feet or more of rain.

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