Good to be back home, despite the cold and winter conditions. I had an efficient trip home via Singapore and London on British Airways, but as usual my harness bag was delayed in Heathrow. Now it’s a few months before we have thermal conditions again, time to get some work done.

The severe tropical cyclone Yasi is about to hit Northern Queensland, from floods to cyclones… Yasi have just been upgraded to category 5 according to this rather scary forecast remark from the Australian BOM;

“SEVERE TC YASI IS A LARGE AND VERY POWERFUL TROPICAL CYCLONE AND POSES AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY WITHIN THE WARNING AREA, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN PORT DOUGLAS AND TOWNSVILLE.

THIS IMPACT IS LIKELY TO BE MORE LIFE THREATENING THAN ANY EXPERIENCED DURING RECENT GENERATIONS.

The Cyclone has now reached CATEGORY 5 and will continue to move in a west-southwesterly direction during today.”

Full forecast here;
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

Pretty animations here;
http://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shirgmscol.html

MODIS pictures here;
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=49066