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| Down Under |
| Australia's Top End braces for Category 5 Cyclone Monica |
| 2006-04-23 |
| CYCLONE Monica was upgraded to a Category 5 storm late yesterday as it approached the Northern Territory coast. With very destructive winds of up to 320km/h at its core, northwest Arnhem Land was beginning to feel Monica's fury. The cyclone was in the Gulf of Carpentaria, 240km east of Nhulunbuy, and moving northwest at 7 km/h. Several isolated Aboriginal communities were in its path. Gales up to 120 km/h were forecast between Groote Eylandt and Elcho Island overnight or early this morning, lifting to 160km/h gusts as the cyclone moved closer to the coast. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #12 Good luck to everyone in Darwin ! |
| Posted by: Oztralian 2006-04-23 19:58 |
| #11 One of the wags at Fark.com came up with this headline: Australia concerned about Cyclone Monica, a Category-5 headed towards Darwin, Australia. The last time anything named Monica blew this hard, it tore apart a nation |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2006-04-23 18:52 |
| #10 #1 - There's a Category 6? I looked a the satellite pic earlier today - it was perfectly round all the way across - no trailers on the edges to speak of. Never seen that before in a hurricane/cyclone. Any way we can send AlBore into its direct path to report on it? ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-04-23 14:14 |
| #9 Alan, think upside down. How often do hurricanes go down to Mexico and how often do they go up the Atlantic? Lots of both. They look at everything else happening around it and let the computers tell them what will happen. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-23 12:35 |
| #8 Don't know nothin' bout them twirley birds down there, but, why do they expect it to hang a left and go down to the IO? Seems like it should more or less keep on into Indonesia. That looks like an almost right angle turn to me. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2006-04-23 11:51 |
| #7 Made a mess of his suit though , huh mike . And his cigars never tasted the same again :) |
| Posted by: MacNails 2006-04-23 08:01 |
| #6 "I survived Cyclone Monica." --Bill Clinton |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-04-23 08:00 |
| #5 Cyclones and hurricanes are the same thing (in different hemisperes). Its between category 5 and 6 (on the same scale as hurricanes) and will likely strengthened if it passes the Territory and goes into the Indian Ocean. My guess is it will hit the Pilbara coast of WA late in week as a cat 5/6 storm. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-04-23 06:33 |
| #4 Did the Brits build many cities in Oz under sea level? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-23 06:17 |
| #3 How big is this looking to really be? Any thing like Katrina was when it hit land or just a bunch of steam? |
| Posted by: Charles 2006-04-23 06:15 |
| #2 You can see how well defined the eye is in this satellite image. If it makes it into the Indian ocean, It will be a big one. I'll hazard oil and gas production will be shutdown on the NW shelf middle of next week. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-04-23 03:23 |
| #1 From the satellite image it looks like it will miss the Teritory and continue on into the Indian Ocean. Models have it going to category 6. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-04-23 00:47 |