186 MPH Cyclone Aims at Australia

Cyclone Ingrid, with winds measured at 186miles per hour on Monday, is heading toward Australia. Thisis themost powerful storm to hit the Queensland areasince 1918, and among the most powerful cyclones on record.It is poised to strike northern Queensland, and residentsare being warned of its danger. As it approached the coast,it weakened somewhat to Category 4, but meterologists warnedthat, as it slowed down over water, it had the potential toreturn to Category 5.

This storm is even more powerful than Cyclone Vance, whichstruck the Queensland coast with 180 MPH winds in October of2004. It also comes strikingly early in the cyclone season.In fact, the Pacific area has been generating so manycyclones and typhoons over the past 12 months that oneseason has melted into the next with essentially no periodof calm in the region.

Also in October of 2004, Cyclone John struck a relativelyunpopulated area of Australia, coming ashore with winds of185 miles per hour, which forecasters at the time consideredalmost beyond belief. The most powerful cyclone everrecorded was probably Geralda, which came ashore inMadagascar in 1994 with wind gusts of 217 MPH, and sustainedwinds of 197 MPH.

Tropical storms that arise in the Indian Ocean are calledcyclones. In the Pacific they are called typhoons, in theAtlantic, hurricanes.

Sometimes there’s nothing we can do about the weather exceptpray, and frequent Dreamland guestWayne Dyerhas a new way to do it.

NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.