page_title: Cyclone Ului
section_title: Australia
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Ului / Preparations / Australia
caption_attribution_description: English: Tropical Cyclone Ului approached the Queensland coast on March 19, 2010. According to a bulletin issued by the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) at 15:00 UTC March 19 (2:00 a.m. March 20 in Sydney), the storm had maximum sustained winds of 55 knots (100 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 70 knots (130 kilometers per hour). These wind speeds were down from those of the previous day, consistent with JTWC forecasts of diminishing storm strength. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the storm on March 19, 2010. Ului spans several hundred kilometers over the Coral Sea. Partially obscured by clouds, the Queensland coast appears in the lower-left corner. Unlike the image from the previous day, this shot shows Ului without a discernible eye, even though the storm retains a typical cyclone swirl shape.
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului was one of the fastest intensifying tropical cyclones on record, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 5 equivalent cyclone within a 30-hour span in March 2010. Throughout Queensland, Australia, infrastructural damage from the storm amounted to A$20 million and agricultural losses reached A$60 million.
context_section_description: After Cyclone Ului passed through the Solomon Islands, officials in Queensland, Australia began warning residents about the possibility of the storm making landfall in the region. Large swells produced by the system prompted lifeguards to close large areas of public beaches. People who wanted to go into the ocean were strongly urged to only do so in patrolled areas. Additionally, fishermen removed their shark nets from the region in anticipation of winds exceeding 65 km/h (40 mph). The removal of shark nets was a first in preparation for cyclones. Although the removal of the nets would prevent damage to them from the storm, it left swimmers at risk for shark attacks. A large surfing competition, the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, welcomed the large swells from the storm, estimated at 5 m (16 ft). Roughly 8,100 people signed up for the competition; however, managers stated that if the swells continued to increase, they may have to relocate the event elsewhere. These swells were anticipated to be the largest experienced along the Queensland coastline in the past decade and emergency management officials warned residents living along coastal areas that the waves would likely inundate low-lying regions.
  On 18 March, new forecasts of the future track of Ului indicated that it would make landfall in Queensland. As a result, officials evacuated roughly 300 people from the islands of Heron and Lady Elliot, situated about 1,000 km (620 mi) off the Australian mainland. Residents along the Sunshine Coast were advised to prepare their homes for a possible Category 4 cyclone and stock up on non-perishable foods. Later on 18 March, the Bureau of Meteorology  expected that the cyclone would cross or near the Queensland coast, between Cardwell and Mackay, on 21 March as a category 3 cyclone. on 19 March, Ului was downgraded to a category 2 cyclone. Several ports along the Queensland coastline were shut down for several days as large waves impacted the region. Transportation of coal and other raw materials was halted in these areas as well. On 21 March, the cyclone weakened as it moved inland and was downgraded below cyclone strength. 60,000 homes were without power in Cannonvale, Mackay, Proserpine, Sarina and surrounding areas. Most of the major damage occurred at Proserpine and the areas to the south and west such as Crystalbrook, Kelsey Creek, Silver Creek, Dittmer, Gunyarra, Andromache, Bloomsbury, Thoopara etc. Airlie Beach/Cannonvale/Cannonvalley sustained relatively minor damage due to them being sheltered from most of the damaging winds by the conway ranges which the Conway National Park is part of. A National Rugby League match in the region threatened by Ului was started roughly two hours early to avoid playing during the storm.
caption: Satellite image of Cyclone Ului approaching Queensland on 19 March, with a partially exposed center
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