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C-band radar from Saddle Mountain, 10km NNW of Cairns, at 7.11am (21.11UTC). Innisfail, marked with a small red circle and "IFL" on the display, is near the centre of Larry's eye. Torrential rain was occurring south of the eye towards Tully (TUL on the display), but is screened from the radar by the Bellenden Ker Range and Mt Bartle Frere to the NW of Innisfail.
Click the image for a 1.4mb animation and description of the rapid disintegration of the eye as the cyclone ploughed into rugged terrain between Atherton and Ravenshoe. |
 QLD: TC Larry devastates North Tropical Coast
Tropical Cyclone Larry slammed into the north QLD coast at Innisfail at 7.00 this morning. Two hours previously, the Bureau of Meteorology estimated that it had strengthened to category 5, with a central pressure of 915hPa and wind speeds near the centre averaging 200km/h and gusting to 280km/h. The automatic weather station at South Johnstone, 10km SW of Innisfail and 12km from the sea, recorded a maximum wind gust of 181km/h at 6.33am and again at 6.38am, a maximum 10-minute average wind speed of 89km/h at 6.50am and a lowest pressure of 959.3hPa at 6.56am. A private anemometer at about 1450m on the Bellenden Ker Range, about 35km NW of Innisfail, recorded a peak gust of 294km/h at 7.18am. Torrential rain produced flooding, with most rain gauges in the Herbert, Tully and Johnstone River catchments recording between 150 and 250mm between 3am and noon.
Catastrophic damage was caused to homes and businesses in the towns of Innisfail, Babinda and Tully and in surrounding areas between Cairns and Cardwell as wind tore buildings apart and blew their contents into oblivion leaving rain and floodwaters to reduce what was left to a pulp. The towns of Babinda and Silkwood bore the brunt of the winds, as they were clipped by the northern and southern portions of Larry's eyewall. Sugarcane fields were flattened and the plantations that provide 80% of the nation's bananas were reduced to rows of smashed stalks, wiping out the area's main industries. Electricity, road and rail communications were disrupted for several days. A significant storm surge accompanied the cyclone, with sea levels exceeding the predicted tide by 1.75 metres at Clump Point, 1.76 metres at Cardwell and 1.54 metres at Mourilyan. Through an extraordinary mixture of good planning, good management and good luck there were no fatalities or serious injuries.
Larry began as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea and reached cyclone strength early on 18 March and rapidly developed to into a severe tropical cyclone by 10am the same day. It continued to strengthen while heading consistently westwards, reaching Category 4 strength early yesterday. The eye crossed the coast between 6.20 and 7.20am after which the eyewall deformed and the cyclone weakened, though it maintained cyclone strength for several hundred kilometres as it tracked just south of west inland, finally falling below cyclone strength early on Tuesday morning.
This detailed report is available from the Bureau of Meteorology.
This eyewitness account is from Richard Hole, located at Tolga, 65km NW of Innisfail
Prs Ext Rec Not War Rdr Cht Rfl Rec
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