It is estimated that the tornado destroyed over one million trees. Three people were killed at Kin Kin (a small community between Gympie and Noosa). This is the deadliest tornado recorded in Australia to date.
Tornadoes in deserts are sometimes called 'dust devils', and in Australia, an Aboriginal name for a tornado is 'willy-willy'.
We certainly do get tornadoes in Australia. They are more common than you might think, with dozens of sightings per year. Many more may occur in remote areas and hence are unreported. Many of the stronger tornadoes in Australia are associated with a type of thunderstorm known as a supercell.
Tornadoes are narrow, rotating columns of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground and can be the most violent of all atmospheric storms. They're most common in the central United States, but they do occur elsewhere, including in Australia, where about 60 tornadoes form each year.
The Bulahdelah Tornado was an intense tornado which occurred near the town of Bulahdelah (100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north-northeast of Newcastle), New South Wales on 1 January 1970, and is thought to be the most destructive tornado ever documented in Australia, however, no official rating has been made public.
There has never been an official F5 or EF5 tornado in Australia, though both the Buladelah tornado of 1970 (Mid North Coast, NSW) and reports of a tornado in Beenleigh back in the 1920s (now a suburb of Brisbane) have been flagged as potential candidates.
Generally, Australia gets tornadoes all over NSW and Victoria, as well as the southwestern part of Western Australia. There is a distinct spatial geography to where tornadoes occur around the world.
Cyclone Mahina was the deadliest cyclone in recorded Australian history, and also likely the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, on 4 March 1899, and its winds and enormous storm surge combined to kill more than 300 people.
The United States has the most tornadoes of any country, as well as the strongest and most violent tornadoes. A large portion of these tornadoes form in an area of the central United States popularly known as Tornado Alley. Canada experiences the second most tornadoes.
The 1795 Sydney tornado was the first tornado ever recorded in Australia. The tornado caused damage to crops and land in the early settlement.
It's true that tornadoes tend to revolve counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale, even though tornadoes were not ranked on any scale at the time.
Dust devils typically do not cause injuries, but rare, severe dust devils have caused damage and even deaths in the past.
These dust-filled vortices, created by strong surface heating, are generally smaller and less intense than a tornado. Typical diameters of dust devils range from 10 to 300 feet, with an average height of approximately 500 to 1000 feet. In most locations, dust devils typically last only a few minutes before dissipating.
In Australia, a cyclones are called a willy-willies. In the US, it's a hurricane, and in the Southern Pacific, a typhoon. So, the only true difference between a hurricane, a cyclone, and a typhoon is where the storm occurs in the world.
An approaching cloud of debris especially at ground level, even if a funnel is not visible; A loud roar - similar to a freight train - or a strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm. A change in the color of the sky. Debris dropping from the sky.
Tornadoes are infrequent in New Zealand, which averages roughly ten strong tornadoes per year.
The peak frequency is in the vicinity of Darwin, with over 80 thunder-days a year.
Tropical cyclones threaten northern Australia every year during the tropical cyclone season. This usually goes from between November and April. On average, the Australian region experiences 11 cyclones a year, although typically only four to five of these cyclones will reach land.
Tornado observed west of Sydney that caused damage to churches and schools in Parramatta, destroying homes and uprooting trees. Part of a larger storm cell which caused extensive flooding. A tornado was observed in Murrumbidgee District near Gundagai, causing extensive damage to forest area.
Warm season tornadoes can occur anywhere across Australia. Most of the reports seem to be recorded across the eastern states particularly Victoria, News South Wales and Queensland although this is consistent with population densities.
On 10–11 February 1978, a tornado tore through many homes in the Lower North Shore, injuring eight people. The damage cost was $15 million.