DAISY
1971-72 season · AU197172_09U
History
Severe Tropical Cyclone Daisy was a damaging system that struck southern Queensland in February 1972. It developed from a tropical low embedded in the monsoon trough over the central Coral Sea on 6 February, roughly 600 km northeast of Rockhampton. Moving steadily south-southwestward across very warm waters, the low intensified quickly and was named Daisy by the Bureau of Meteorology's Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on 7 February, by which time it had reached Category 1 strength.
Guided by a high-pressure ridge to its southeast, Daisy maintained a south-southwesterly course toward the southern Queensland coast and continued to deepen. On 9 February it reached Category 3 severe tropical cyclone intensity, with a minimum central pressure near 958 hPa. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at around 130–140 km/h (70–75 knots), with gusts exceeding 180 km/h close to the point of landfall.
Daisy crossed the coast near Sandy Cape on Fraser Island (K'gari) and the Hervey Bay region late on 10 February, still at severe intensity, before tracking inland over the Wide Bay–Burnett district. Interaction with the terrain of the Great Dividing Range caused rapid weakening on 11 February, and the system decayed into a deep land depression as it moved south across Moreton Bay and into far northern New South Wales, ultimately being absorbed by a cold front off the east coast.
Damage was extensive through the Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Sunshine Coast districts, where severe wind gusts stripped roofs from houses, brought down trees and flattened crops, particularly sugarcane and banana plantations. Prolonged onshore gales combined with high spring tides generated large waves that produced severe beach erosion along the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, while low-lying areas around Moreton Bay suffered storm-surge inundation. Rainfall totals of 300–500 mm fell across southeast Queensland catchments and the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, causing flash flooding and significant rises on the Mary, Brisbane and Tweed Rivers, including flooding near Brisbane. Losses ran to millions of dollars, though no direct fatalities were recorded. Daisy was one of numerous systems in an unusually active 1971–72 season.
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia
View full track data (66 observations)
| Date/Time (UTC) | Category | Position | Pressure | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-02-05 23:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 150.0 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 02:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 150.0 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 05:00:00 | 1 | -15.0, 150.0 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 08:00:00 | 1 | -15.1, 150.0 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 11:00:00 | 1 | -15.2, 150.0 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 14:00:00 | 1 | -15.3, 149.9 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 17:00:00 | 1 | -15.3, 149.8 | 995 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 20:00:00 | 1 | -15.2, 150.1 | 995 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-06 23:00:00 | 1 | -15.0, 150.2 | 994 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 02:00:00 | 1 | -14.9, 150.1 | 993 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 05:00:00 | 1 | -15.2, 150.4 | 993 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 08:00:00 | 1 | -15.7, 150.9 | 992 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 11:00:00 | 1 | -15.8, 151.3 | 991 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 14:00:00 | 1 | -16.1, 151.6 | 991 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 17:00:00 | 1 | -16.3, 151.9 | 990 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 20:00:00 | 1 | -16.4, 152.0 | 980 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-07 23:00:00 | 1 | -16.7, 152.3 | 988 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 02:00:00 | 1 | -16.9, 152.7 | 988 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 05:00:00 | 1 | -17.2, 153.1 | 987 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 08:00:00 | 1 | -17.5, 153.5 | 987 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 11:00:00 | 1 | -18.0, 153.9 | 984 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 14:00:00 | 1 | -18.4, 154.3 | 983 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 17:00:00 | 1 | -18.6, 154.6 | 982 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 20:00:00 | 1 | -18.8, 155.2 | 981 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-08 23:00:00 | 1 | -19.0, 155.5 | 979 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 02:00:00 | 1 | -19.3, 155.9 | 978 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 05:00:00 | 1 | -20.0, 156.3 | 977 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 08:00:00 | 1 | -20.8, 156.3 | 975 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 11:00:00 | 1 | -21.6, 156.1 | 974 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 14:00:00 | 1 | -21.8, 155.7 | 973 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 17:00:00 | 1 | -22.1, 155.4 | 971 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 20:00:00 | 1 | -22.3, 155.4 | 969 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-09 23:00:00 | 1 | -22.7, 155.4 | 966 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 02:00:00 | 1 | -23.0, 155.3 | 962 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 05:00:00 | 1 | -23.3, 155.2 | 961 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 08:00:00 | 1 | -23.4, 155.0 | 960 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 11:00:00 | 1 | -23.6, 154.7 | 959 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 14:00:00 | 1 | -23.6, 154.4 | 959 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 17:00:00 | 1 | -23.6, 154.2 | 960 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 20:00:00 | 1 | -23.9, 153.9 | 961 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-10 23:00:00 | 1 | -24.3, 153.7 | 963 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 02:00:00 | 5 | -24.7, 153.3 | 965 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 05:00:00 | 1 | -25.2, 153.2 | 968 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 08:00:00 | 1 | -25.5, 153.3 | 972 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 11:00:00 | 1 | -25.8, 153.2 | 978 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 14:00:00 | 1 | -25.9, 153.2 | 984 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 16:00:00 | 1 | -26.1, 153.2 | 988 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 17:00:00 | 1 | -26.1, 153.1 | 990 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 20:00:00 | 3 | -26.2, 153.1 | 994 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-11 23:00:00 | 4 | -26.6, 153.1 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 02:00:00 | 1 | -27.1, 153.5 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 05:00:00 | 1 | -27.3, 153.6 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 08:00:00 | 1 | -27.3, 153.8 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 11:00:00 | 1 | -27.2, 154.0 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 14:00:00 | 1 | -27.2, 154.3 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 17:00:00 | 1 | -27.2, 154.6 | 995 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 20:00:00 | 1 | -27.3, 155.0 | 995 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-12 23:00:00 | 1 | -27.4, 155.3 | 996 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 02:00:00 | 1 | -27.5, 155.7 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 05:00:00 | 1 | -27.5, 156.1 | 997 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 08:00:00 | 1 | -27.6, 156.5 | 999 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 11:00:00 | 1 | -27.6, 156.8 | 998 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 14:00:00 | 1 | -27.6, 157.1 | 998 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 17:00:00 | 1 | -27.6, 157.5 | 999 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 20:00:00 | 1 | -27.5, 157.8 | 1000 hPa | — |
| 1972-02-13 23:00:00 | 1 | -27.4, 158.1 | 1000 hPa | — |