Cyclone Mahina struck
Bathurst BayBathurst Bay is the name of a 19th century peninsula settlement that is now a tourist attraction on Cape York in northern Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef....
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and the surrounding region with a devastating storm surge on 4 March 1899, killing over 400 people, the largest death toll of any natural disaster in Australian history.
Tropical cyclone Mahina hit on 4 March 1899. It was a Category 5 cyclone, the most powerful of the
tropical cyclone severity categoriesThe Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms. The scale divides hurricanes into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
. In addition, Mahina was perhaps one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Southern Hemisphere and almost certainly the most intense cyclone ever observed off the East Coast of Australia in living memory.
Cyclone Mahina struck
Bathurst BayBathurst Bay is the name of a 19th century peninsula settlement that is now a tourist attraction on Cape York in northern Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef....
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and the surrounding region with a devastating storm surge on 4 March 1899, killing over 400 people, the largest death toll of any natural disaster in Australian history.
Meteorological history
Tropical cyclone Mahina hit on 4 March 1899. It was a Category 5 cyclone, the most powerful of the
tropical cyclone severity categoriesThe Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms. The scale divides hurricanes into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
. In addition, Mahina was perhaps one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Southern Hemisphere and almost certainly the most intense cyclone ever observed off the East Coast of Australia in living memory. According to an article published in an edition of
The Cairns Post, the captain of a pearling lugger caught in the eye of Mahina obtained a ship's barometric pressure of 18 inches, which in modern day conversion is approximately 889hPa (hectopascals)in comparison Tropical cyclone Tracy which devastated Darwin in 1974 had a central pressure of 940hPa. Barometric pressure this low at mean sea level is also a likely cause and strong indicator of why cyclone Mahina created such an intense, phenomenal and world record height storm surge of the likes not seen since.
Impact
Within an hour, the pearling fleet (at anchor) was either driven onto the shore or onto the Great Barrier Reef. Only 4
sailorA sailor or mariner is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s survived and over 307 were killed. Just before the eye of the cyclone passed overland to the north a
tidal waveThe term tidal wave may refer to:*A tidal bore is a large movement of water formed by the funneling of the incoming tide into a river or narrow bay*A tidal surge can cause waves that breach flood defences and may be referred to as tidal waves....
(caused by
storm surgeStorm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically a tropical cyclone. Storm surge is caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea level...
), variously reported as either 13 metres or 48 feet (14.6 meters) high, swept inland for about 5 kilometers, destroying anything that was left of the Bathurst Bay pearling fleet along with the settlement.
Eyewitness Constable J. M. Kenny reported that a 48 ft (14.6 m) storm surge swept over their camp at Barrow Point atop a 40 ft (12 m) high ridge and reached 3 miles (5 km) inland, the largest storm surge ever recorded. The cyclone continued southwest over
Cape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. This remote peninsula contains some of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth, though about half of the land area is used for grazing cattle and much has been damaged by feral pigs, weeds, and other...
, emerging over the
Gulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
before doubling back and dissipating on 10 March.
Over 100
Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
died, including some who were caught by the back surge and swept into the sea while trying to help shipwrecked men. Thousands of fish and some sharks and dolphins were found 15 m above sea level up to several kilometres inland and rocks were embedded in trees. On Flinders Island (Queensland) dolphins were found 15.2 metres up on the cliffs.
A memorial stone to 'The Pearlers' who were lost to the hurricane was erected on
Cape MelvilleCape Melville is a national park in Queensland , located 1711 km northwest of Brisbane....
. The disaster is also commemorated in the Anglican church on Thursday Island.
See also
External links