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Background
Tropical Cyclone Larry struck the Queensland coast on March 20, 2006. Although it is considered one of the worst cyclones in Australia's history, no one was killed or seriously injured. However, damage to property and crops was devastating, with nearly $1 billion in estimated losses. It was the first tropical cyclone since 1999 to make landfall in a densely populated area of Queensland. In 2005 to 2006, the region had 15 named storms, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
Conditions
A cyclone is the same weather phenomenon as a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere except it rotates in a clockwise motion. For Tropical Cyclone Larry to form, several conditions had to be present. First, the ocean water where it originated had to be warm, 26 degrees Celsius or above. Because of this, cyclones typically form in tropical waters near the equator. Next, water evaporated and formed storm clouds above the ocean. Because a low air pressure zone was present, it began to pull the clouds in a rotational motion toward the center of the depression. As more clouds formed, the rotation sped up and once winds hit 74 mph, the storm officially became a cyclone.
Gaining Strength
Tropical Storm Larry formed from a low pressure system in the eastern Coral Sea. Meteorologists noticed the storm developing on March 16. It became a cyclone on March 18 and by that evening, the rapidly forming storm was a Category 3 with winds of 111 mph to 130 mph. The cyclone headed along a westerly course toward Queensland as more water vapor was added to the storm and rotation increased. It became a Category 5 cyclone with winds of 115 mph before it struck the coast, but actually decreased in intensity to a Category 4 when it made landfall.
Across Land
Cyclones tend to weaken over land because it lacks the moisture and heat of the ocean that's needed to fuel the wind and rain. Cyclone Larry hit land at daybreak and moved rapidly inland. Low tides at the time of landfall helped limit tidal surges that the cyclone's wind created. The storm was classified as a "midget" cyclone because its destructive winds were limited in range. The top wind gust recorded was 294 mph. At one site, 17 inches of rain was recorded in one 24-hour period of the storm.