Cyclone Larry

What is a tropical cyclone?

A tropical cyclone is a storm system in the Southern Hemisphere, with a closed circulation around a center of low pressure, driven by heat energy released as moist air drawn in over warm ocean waters rises and condenses. The circular eye or centre of a tropical cyclone is an area characterised by light winds and often by clear skies. They derive their energy from the warm tropical oceans and do not form unless the sea-surface temperature is above 26.5Ð'oC, although, once formed, they can persist over lower sea-surface temperatures. Depending on their location and strength a cyclone be named otherwise like tropical storm, tropical depression, hurricane or typhoon. They can carry extremely high winds, tornadoes, torrential rain, and storm surge onto coasts, leading to mudslides, flash floods, and lightning sparked fires in addition to wind damage.

The nature of Cyclone Larry and the geographical processes involved

Larry began as a low pressure system which is when the atmospheric pressure is the lowest it was associated with stronger windsand atmospheric lift, the low pressure system began over the eastern Coral Sea that was monitored by the Bureau of Meteorology from 16 March. It formed into a tropical cyclone 1200 kilometres off the Queensland, Australia, coast on Saturday March 18, 2006, it disspatched on March 21, 2006.

The winds of Cyclone Larry were amazing and it reached up to 93 km/h from ENE with gusts to 128 km/h. The table below shows the Innisfails wind observations.

Although Cyclone Larry winds were hazourdous we should also have a look at the maximum wind gust throughout the journey of Cyclone Larry also the sustained winds

The economic, environmental

and social impacts

Cyclone Larry was devastating, and had major impacts to the people of Queensland. From the table below you can see the amount of damage it has given out throughout Queensland. Cyclone Larry was so severe that the electricity system severely

disrupted the areas above like Cairns. The roads and railways was also disrupted caused by flooding also the impact of the cyclone caused Cairns airport to close til March 21.There were food drops given out and even the towns people sold necessary items. There were trouble on land but also trouble on sea too. It caused very high tides which would be very difficult to fish or even too sail. The impact of the cyclone made plenty of farmers fustrated because the impact it caused to the crops especially the bananas. It caused a wrecking that destroyed more than 200,000 tonnes of fruit worth $300 million. Which caused banana prices to increase. Th wet environment

combined with the destruction of sanitation facilities and a warm climate could cause diseases which could cause deaths long after