At 1:00 a.m. Queensland time on February 2, the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Yasi was roughly 450 nautical miles (835 kilometers) east-northeast of Cairns, Australia. Sporting a well-defined eye, Yasi had maximum sustained winds of 120 knots (220 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 145 knots (270 kilometers per hour). True to earlier forecasts, favorable conditions led the storm to intensify rapidly over the Pacific Ocean.
JTWC forecasters said Yasi would continue to strengthen and remain on a west-southwest track. The storm was expected to make landfall just south of Cairns, bringing high winds and potentially high waves. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that tens of thousands of residents were evacuating ahead of the storm's anticipated landfall late on February 2 or early February 3.
References
- Australian Associated Press. (2011, February 2 [Queensland time]). Thousands evacuate ahead of Cyclone Yasi. The Sydney Morning Herald. Accessed February 1, 2011.
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (2011, February 1). Tropical Cyclone 11P (Yasi) Warning. Accessed February 1, 2011.
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