Six devastating Qld storms

SIX DEVASTATING QLD STORMS IN FIVE YEARS

TC OLGA

Date: Jan 19-30, 2010

Formed: Coral Sea

Maximum category: 2

Landfall: two crossings - as ex-category one south of Cairns, then as category one at Karumba

Path: formed in Coral Sea, moved west and intensified to category two, devolved to tropical depression and crossed the coast near Cairns, crossed to Gulf of Carpentaria Coast, re-intensified to category one and made land at Kuranda

Deaths: two dead in Solomon Islands

Damage:

* heavy rainfall over a wide area of Queensland

* major flooding of the Bulloo River at Quilpie (with moderate flooding downstream)

* major flooding in the Thomson/Barcoo/Cooper system (major flood levels endured for a week at Windorah

* major flooding on the Condamine/Balonne catchment affecting Roma and St George

* major flooding in the Haughton River (third highest on record at Giri), at Mirani Weir on the Pioneer River (minor flooding downstream at Mackay), in parts of the Burdekin River, the Albert River at Benobble, the Langlo River, the Warrego River

* moderate to minor flood in a host of rivers across northern, the Channel Country and right through southern Queensland

TC YASI

Date: Jan 30-Feb 3, 2011

Formed: South Pacific Ocean, near Vanuatu

Maximum category: 5

Landfall: near Mission Beach as Cat 5

Path: general west-southwest path from Vanuatu to near Mount Isa, where it degraded to a tropical depression

Deaths: 1 - a man asphyxiated from carbon monoxide issuing from a faulty generator at a house at Ingham

Damage:

* $800 million in property damage

* major damage to structures between Townsville and Innisfail, including Tully, Cardwell and the Dunk Island resort

* widespread destruction of crops including bananas and sugar cane

* Heavy rainfall of 200mm to 300mm near and south of Yasi's centre, isolated falls of 400mm to 500mm

* significant storm surge and some inundation recorded at Cardwell

* widespread heavy rain caused major flooding in central Queensland and is associated with widespread flooding in northern Victoria

SE QUEENSLAND FLOOD DISASTER

Date: January 2011

Deaths: 35

Damage:

* major flash flooding in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley

* major flooding in the Brisbane River valley including metro Brisbane, Burnett, Mary, Pine Dawson, Condamine, Moonie, Logan, Albert Rivers and Charleys Creek and Myall Creek

* floods affected Brisbane, Warwick, Dalby, Chinchilla, Condamine, Taroom, Theodore, Moura and Barbalaba

* thousands of homes and businesses inundated

TC OSWALD

Date: Jan 17-28, 2013

Formed: Gulf of Carpentaria

Maximum category: 1

Landfall: western coast of Cape York Peninsula as Cat 1

Path: west over southern Gulf of Carpentaria, then southeast in a line roughly following east coast down top northeast NSW

Deaths: 6

Damage:

* approximately $1 billion damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure

* widespread flooding through eastern Queensland and northern NSW

* worst-hit areas included Tully, Ingham, Bundaberg, Mundubbera, Dalby, Ipswich, Brisbane, and Grafton

*three tornadoes formed on Jan 26 in the Bundaberg area, damaging 150 properties and injuring 17 people

TC ITA

Date: April 1-17, 2014

Formed: Coral Sea

Maximum category: 5

Landfall: Cape Flattery as Cat 4

Path: west-southwest over the Coral Sea, weakened but never below cyclone strength as it followed the north Queensland coast, then out into the Coral Sea again

Deaths: 22 in Solomon Islands

Damage:

* $1.1 billion, mostly to agriculture, with vast losses of sugar cane crops along the Queensland coast

* moderate flooding over most of north Queensland including the Daintree, Barron, Mulgrave/Russell, Tully/Murray, Herbert, Bohle, Haughton and Don river catchments

* moderate flood damage at Tully, Cardwell and Bowen

* 200 homes and a 140-year-old hotel damaged by wind at Cooktown

BRISBANE HAIL STORM

Formed: severe thunderstorm, Nov 27, 2014

Path: south to north over Brisbane metro area

Deaths: 0

Damage:

* more than $1 billion in property damage

* flash flooding affected Brisbane CBD and inner suburbs

* roofs, windows and cars smashed by hail up to softball size

* 100,223 insurance claims

(Source: Bureau of Meteorology/AAP)