Storm warnings are in place for this coast line as Tropical Cyclone Marcia bears down on us. She is due to land later today approx. 600 to 700 kilometres north of here. Then over the next 24 hours she will head our way.
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Cyclone Marcia has formed off Queensland’s coast and is expected to intensify to make landfall as a category two cyclone early on Friday.
Between 200 millimetres and 500 millimetres of rain is expected to be dumped between Thursday and Saturday on a massive stretch of Queensland’s coast, from St Lawrence to the southern border.
Some areas could get more than 300 millimetres in 24 hours and a flood watch is current for the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett, Southeast Coast, and the Darling Downs and Granite Belt District forecast districts.
About 200 swift-water staff have been prepositioned for the event.
Gusts of up to 125 kilometres an hour, flash floods, high tides, beach erosion, possible tornadoes and powerful surf are expected from tomorrow to Saturday. (ABC News report)
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When I woke this morning I could hear the ocean pounding and roaring. It was just past high tide and it is another 24 hours before the cyclone reaches here. I grabbed my raincoat and camera and went down to Burleigh Beach
It was grey and overcast, the wind was whipping up the ocean into a maelström of angry waves.
Not 3 metre high yet, the storm front is still approx. 600 to 700 kilometres north. But this is just the forerunner of what is to come. It is forecast to reach 3 metre+ swells tomorrow.
The life guards are already here to close the beaches
This surf is far too dangerous for swimmers or surfers. The rips will drag out to sea any one silly enough to venture in.
I think this family may be here for their holiday and they are determined to give their son a beach sand castle building experience. (I wonder if they have seen the sand sculptures at Surfers Paradise)
Other beach walkers, like me, capture the churning ocean. Most I notice are using their phones as their camera.
Every time these “weather events” (as the media now call them) strike, the surging ocean washes away the sand. This man is looking at the start of the beach erosion. Previous storms have created 6 to 10 foot drops were the sand has been washed out to sea. (see them here)
A favourite pastime for many locals is coming down to the beach for a run or walk and followed by a reviving cup of coffee.
Of course it is also a favourite place to walk the dog. I think this little fellow is telling them to hurry up…
This is a lovely part of Queensland and that hill is Burleigh Heads National Park, but it is starting to spit with rain so I won’t go along the headland track today. (If you would like to see what it is like on a sunny day click here)
As I write this post it is raining and the wind is getting stronger. I have tucked all my pot plants away in a protected corner. Now will just wait to see what tomorrow brings…
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G’day Jo I would like to join your cyber walking group this week and show you the angry side of my home turf. Click here and come over with me to visit the other walkers from around the world.
Delighted to have found your interest packed blog. Looking forward to more visits. Regards from Thom at the immortal jukebox.
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G’day Thom pleased to have you drop by, look forward to seeing more of you. Hope you enjoy visiting my world
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Thanks. Hope you find much to enjoy on the Jukebox. Thom
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I will be going for a look… 🙂
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Missed this post, and glad to hear that the storm missed you too! I suppose there is always a chance of some idiot going into the surf and I don’t suppose they ever think about the safety of anyone who might have to rescue them. Good reporting PP. I hope the rest if the summer is quieter 🙂
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Not much summer left now Jude I always look forward to March and the start of autumn, my favourite month
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I’ve never been in Australia in the autumn – mid-March in Canberra and Melbourne, but it still felt like summer to me 🙂
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Ah yes still warm but not so humid…
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I don’t remember it being quite so humid on my previous visits! Came as quite an unwelcome shock!
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Thank you Jo for the link, too wet to go walking today, maybe tomorrow…
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Great photo journalism report, Pauline
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Thanks Jennifer that is a lovely way to put it I like that “photo journalism” expression…
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Be safe. Hope you don’t get much damage xo
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Thanks Jennifer, so far so good, lots of rain but no wind…
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Stay safe Pauline and hope your home doesn’t suffer any damage. Was watching the Sky Weather Channel earlier looks like it Marcia is/was going to hit Yeppoon first but really the whole coastal area is in for a fierce battering and hope that the storm surge doesn’t cause terrible damage, take care 🙂
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Thank you Rose It is now battering Rocky but think/hope the winds will decrease by the time they get down to us. Still expecting lots of rain and high tides.
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Stay safe and dry! 🙂
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Thank you I will certainly be staying indoors today.
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Stay safe.
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We are certainly staying inside today Gemma, these storms can be quite scary
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Hope you are safe and sound with all that storm raging around you.
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Further north is receiving a battering but it will, hopefully, be downgraded by the time it reaches us in approx. 12 hours time to a tropical storm, lots of rain but not such strong winds.
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they say the storm is hitting land north above Yapoon. The wind is only 120 at the moment which is good for them. Hope they all stay safe How did you weather the rain last night Pauline. We woke up with a bang at about 3 when one of our old pine trees got too top heavy and waterlogged just toppled over. It took out my nice naval orange tree on the way down the fruit was getting nice a big but still green. The pipe from our house to the water tank was taken out on the way down but all is well. they are all fixable, I think were getting more rain here than up north. No wind only rain rain rain, stay safe
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What a terrible shock for you when the tree came down Toni, thank goodness it missed your house. We had 100mm of rain in the 12 hour last night, but so far no wind, but I’m sure the wind will come soon. I see on tv it is now hitting Yepoon. Stay safe Toni
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That sea looks really rough. Hope there’s no storm damage, but do stay safe, and as Jo says, “Batten down the hatches.” 🙂
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Thanks Sylvia. We will certainly be staying indoors. It is now 7am and the cyclone is just hitting land approx. 700km up north. So far here it is raining but no winds, but I’m sure that is going to change
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I hope you ride this one out without any damage. Stay dry and warm and report back to us when you can. I’ll be thinking of you.
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Thank you for your thoughts. It is now 7-30am and the cyclone is just hitting land up north about 700km north of us. It rained all night here and we had 100mm in the rain gauge in 12 hours.
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How is it looking now? I’m in Melbs so am not experiencing this one. Off to check the ABC news channel now!
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We had 100mm of rain in the 12 hours over night, but no winds so far. Poor Yepoon is just about to be battered by Marcia. Hope your home in Brissie is in a safe area. They are predicting floods for Brisbane
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I spoke to mum today, she said 90mm overnight there but everything else ok so far. I think tonight will be interesting!!
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Yes more rain still to come…
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It’s obviously not cold despite the wild waves, Pauline. They’re an awesome sight, but please stay safe. Batten down the hatches time! Many thanks for braving the storm on my behalf 🙂
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When I heard the ocean this morning I just had to go and see it Jo, but I think I will stay inside tomorrow, they are now predicting a category 5 cyclone at 7am tomorrow…
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Report from Noosaville It is starting to get very windy and the rain is pelting down. It has been constant since 10am but from around 4pm it has been heavy. Gusts of musical wind are hitting. Sense of anticipation…… Hope you weather it well.
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I like your musical winds Irene, it is going to be an interesting 24 hours, hope not too dramatic. I’m watching the news and they make it sound very dramatic, up to 260 km winds at Yepoon.
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Yes now a category 5. I feel for them. It is certainly ramped up here over the last couple of hours. I prepared but now I wonder did I prepare enough. Keep safe
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We had 100mm of rain in 12 hours last night, steady rain all night but so far no wind. I’m watching it unfolding on the tv. I really hope they all keep safe up north. Watching and waiting Irene. You keep safe too…
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I am SO with all of you thru this.. read about it last night and am glad to read your post.. also glad to have internet that actually works here at my friends house…
hunker down …
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Good to hear from you Lisa, lovely to have your comment, it is a calm at the moment, 7am but Marcia is due to hit land up north in about an hour.
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well it’s close or is there by now.. it’s such an eerie feeling when you’re waiting and wondering, and then to finally see images or see first hand what’s happened. thanks for the report..
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You are also used to the fury of nature in your part of the world Lisa, the waiting is always nerve wracking. It has hit up north with a vengeance, but by the time it tracks down to here it will be downgraded to a tropical storm, lots of rain but, hopefully, not such strong winds.
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Thinking of you both and hope all goes well. No swimming or bike riding for you tomorrow Jack. Stay safe and hope your beautiful home and garden are not damaged. Love to you both, Lyn/David
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Pauline I just checked that website recommended on your blog. It is truly amazing. Please take care, it looks like the system is really powerful. Look after each other.
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Thanks to you both for your thoughts. I’m watching the news now it looks as though it is intensifying. Jack has checked all the drains etc so I hope we will be ok.
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Definitely will not be swimming or biking tomorrow. Will be tempted to go down and see how the beach has survived, but not till after the storm has passed.
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Yes, please stay inside tomorrow. Glad Jack has checked drains and clear access for water to get to the street without obstacles, and I am sure you have moved anything that could blow and become a hazard. You are in our thoughts, and all others down South in Maria’s path.
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Thank you for your kind thoughts, still quite calm at the moment, they say it has slowed down not hit the coast till 7am now but at, maybe, a category 5 it will hit hard on the central coast.
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Hope you weather the storm successfully, and not too much of that glorious coast returns to the ocean. Be safe! xx
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Thanks Del it is looking bad for further north it is now being up graded to a category 4…Due to land in the middle of the night, all a bit scary
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Stay Safe 🙂
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Thank you for your thoughts
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Oh goodness Pauline take care. Last winter/spring the storms caused an awful lot of damage here that still isn’t fixed.
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The bad ones seem to come through every second year now, used to be called once in a decade, but they have dropped saying that now. Like your area many areas are still cleaning up from the last one
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I see on our news tonight that Aussie’s getting hammered by two cyclones over the next couple of days. A category four in The Northern territories, and cyclone Marcia in Queensland. Stay dry and safe.
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Thanks Jill. Marcia is now category 3 and they are saying it could be up to category 4 by the time it gets to land. Fortunately for our corner of the south east it should be down to less than that by the time it gets here, fingers crossed.
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Fingers very much crossed!
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Thanks Jill
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Hi Pauline, Have seen some terrible pictures on the news of cyclone damage in Queensland, most of it north of you I think. Still got my fingers crossed for you and Jack.
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Yes the poor community in central Queensland were badly hit, it is a very rare event to have a category 5 this far down. All is calm here at the moment (calm before the storm maybe!) but cyclone Marcia is now a tropical storm and about 300-400kms north. Our area had its separate weather event yesterday, heavy rain but no winds approx. 150-200mm. of rain. Well I won’t need to water the garden for a while…
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That’s a phenomenal amount of rain, by our standards, Pauline. It’s a relief that Marcia has been down-graded.
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It certainly is a lot of rain even by our standards, but it isn’t over yet it has been raining most of today. I think the edges of the tropical low has reached us so more still to come…
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Oh dear, take care
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Got the groceries in so now will bunker down with the computer for the afternoon…
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Perfect!
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Thinking of you and Jack, Pauline. Be safe and I hope there isn’t too much damage to your beautiful area. Jane
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Thanks Jane for your best wishes. The media are giving a rather gloomy picture of the next 24 hours. Marcia is now going to be a category 4 when it gets to the coast at Yepoon, near Rockhampton.
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Thanks for the precursor. I hope it’s not too damaging.
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It is looking bad for the mid coast near Gladstone and Yepoon but hopeful it will be down to about category 1 by the time it reaches us.
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Stay safe, my dear! I’ve ‘liked’ this post but really don’t like the thought of those winds and tides. We’ve got one above us in NT and one below us where you are. Have you ever looked at the wind chart to use as a tracker for cyclones. It’s ‘real time’ and much better than waiting for BoM. You can find it here: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=142.36,-14.40,776
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That NT cyclone also looks bad hope it doesn’t come your way Dianne, thank you for the link, I’ve not seen it before I will be watching it with interest. Keep safe too my friend.
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I can’t believe it’s gone up to a 5! Good grief, I really hope everyone is okay as it passes through xxxx
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I’m watching tv now, the wait is agonising for those poor people in Yepoon.
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