Cyclone Marcia clean-up hampered by communications blackout This article is more than 5 years old. On 27 February, Marcia entered the responsible area of the Fiji Meteorological Service as a weak low-pressure system. At approximately 2am on 21 February, Cyclone Marcia was … [6][7], When Marcia intensified into a category 2 tropical cyclone at 00:00 UTC on 19 February, it had developed a central dense overcast with a consolidating eyewall because of weakening vertical wind shear. [28][29] The heaviest rainfall was recorded over the Don and Dee Rivers and Callide Creek in the Fitzroy River area where up to 300 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in a 6–8-hour period during the afternoon and evening of 20 February. [6] At 09Z, the BoM reported that the tropical low intensified into a category 1 tropical cyclone and named it Marcia, as it had started to track southwestwards along the northwestern periphery of a low- to mid-layered subtropical ridge. [13][14] Maintaining strength, Marcia made landfall over the coast near Shoalwater Bay at 22:00 UTC (08:00 AEST on 20 February). Ms Palaszczuk praised the generosity of Queenslanders who rallied to help those in need. [20], The ex-tropical cyclone arrived in the Coral Sea from the southeast coast of Queensland on 21 February. UPDATE 11.10AM: Tropical Cyclone Marcia has been downgraded to category 4, but very destructive winds are still expected near the centre. Nationwide News Pty Limited Copyright © 2020. "People from out west and far north are donating generators to help people have access to power," she said. It was a small system of only moderate intensity and maximum winds associated with it are estimated to have reached about 90 km/h on 20th October. Local Councils offered sandbags to residents who were likely to be affected by flooding. 8.53pm: HOUSES have been torn apart and roofs blown away as Cyclone Marcia, one of the fiercest storms to hit Queensland, unleashed its fury today. Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall at its peak strength over central Queensland, near Shoalwater Bay on 20 February 2015. Some scientific studies suggest no change and others suggest a decrease in numbers since the 1970s in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones in the Australian region.The Bureau of Meteorology’s satellite record is short and there have been changes in the historical methods of analysis. [27] More than 800 people bunkered down in the Yeppoon Cyclone Shelter, the most southerly located cyclone shelter in Queensland, located within the grounds of the Yeppoon State High School. Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall at its peak strength over central Queensland, near Shoalwater Bay on 20 February 2015. Over the course of the day, Cyclone Marcia weakening to a Category 3 as it hit Rockhampton in the afternoon. [21] Although it drifted northwards over warmer SST later, it was failed to intensify but weakened further. [8][9] Thanks to very good poleward outflow into the westerlies, Marcia dramatically underwent rapid intensification and formed a clear eye, becoming a category 3 severe tropical cyclone at 05:00 UTC and a category 4 system at 08:00 UTC. … The process of tropical cyclone development is explained and depicted in tropical cyclogenesis. [34], The observed windspeeds were lower than the analyzed maximum sustained winds, which had been estimated using the Advanced Dvorak Technique. complacency in preparation or building standards in the future. * Marcia was a category five cyclone when it made landfall, on the Capricorn Coast near Shoalwater Bay, at 8am (AEST) on Friday, Originally published asThe facts about Cyclone Marcia. [33] Total damage in Queensland reached A$750 million (US$587 million). [4] Late on the same day, the BoM began to issue technical bulletins and designated the tropical low as 14U, although the bureau initially forecasted that it would only intensify into a category 1 cyclone prior to landfall. [22][23] The remnants were completely absorbed into a trough on 1 March. Cyclones and Victims . Committee convened weakened, moved southeast out to sea, before dissipating including 800 in central ;. Here did not have the luxury of tracking the cyclone went on to affect various areas Yeppoon... 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