LARRY

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry developed from a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea, first monitored by the Bureau of Meteorology on 16 March 2006. It organised into a tropical cyclone on 18 March, approximately 1,150 kilometres off the Queensland coast, and rapidly intensified over the following days. Larry made landfall between Gordonvale and Tully in Far North Queensland, close to Innisfail, between 6:20 am and 7:20 am AEST on 20 March 2006 as a Category 5 system on the Australian scale, with wind gusts reaching around 240 kilometres per hour. The cyclone degraded to a tropical low just over a day after landfall and tracked into western Queensland, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding along the Leichhardt River.

The storm caused widespread destruction across Far North Queensland. Innisfail bore the worst of the damage, while nearby towns including Silkwood, Babinda, Kurrimine Beach, and Mission Beach also sustained significant structural losses. In total, around 10,000 homes were damaged. Australia's banana industry was severely affected, with more than 80 percent of the national crop destroyed. Extensive damage was also inflicted on the region's rainforests. One indirect fatality occurred due to a traffic accident linked to the storm. Total damage across Queensland was estimated at approximately AU$1.5 billion, making Larry the costliest cyclone in Australian history at the time. The name Larry was subsequently retired in December 2006.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia