Maleny Weather

The media headlines today bring to mind the Melbourne Dust Storm on 8^th February 1983. This was when south-eastern Australia was coming out of one of the worst droughts since European settlement leaving behind very sparse vegetation cover and a great deal of dry exposed red dust in the Mallee region. Strong north-westerly winds moving ahead of a cold front whipped up the dust into a fast moving wall creating a dramatic sight as it towered above the Melbourne skyline.

In 1852 another notable dust storm occurred in the Melbourne area on Sunday 19^th December when The Tmes in London reported ‘a man riding his horse on the outskirts of Melbourne was unable to see the ears of his horse due to the streaming volume of hot, stinging dust’.

1286

King Alexander III of Scotland died when he was blown off a cliff at Inverkeithing, Scotland by a violent easterly gale.

1925

The infamous Tri-State Tornado raced 219 miles across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. to become the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history. The storm left 695 people dead, 2,027 injured and an estimated $17 million dollars in damage with 15,000 homes totally levelled.

1978

28 people were killed and 300 injured as a tornado touched down and stayed on the ground for over three miles in the northern suburbs of New Delhi, India

1990.

An intense hailstorm struck the Sydney region in Australia producing strong winds and heavy rain in a swathe from Camden to Narrabeen, causing extensive damage.  Hailstones were measured up to 3 inches in diameter.  The total insured damage was estimated at $314 million Australian dollars,

2006

Cyclone Larry, the most powerful storm to hit Australia in 3 decades, slammed onto the Australian coast south of Cairns in the town of Innisfail with estimated sustained winds of 115 mph with gusts to 150 mph devastating sugar and banana plantations and leaving thousands homeless.  Damage totalled a half billion dollars.  Miraculously, no lives were lost and no serious injuries were reported.  At one point, Category 5 Larry packed wind gusts to Category 5 strength of 180 mph.