Marcia

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia developed from a tropical low within the monsoon trough southeast of Papua New Guinea on 15 February 2015. The system was named by the Bureau of Meteorology on 18 February as it tracked southwestward, and underwent rapid intensification on 19 February, climbing from a Category 2 to a Category 5 system within hours. At peak intensity, Marcia sustained 10-minute winds of 205 km/h with a well-defined 35-kilometre eye. It made landfall near Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland at 08:00 AEST on 20 February 2015 at its peak Category 5 strength, before tracking southeast and weakening rapidly due to land interaction and increasing wind shear. Marcia passed just west of Yeppoon as a Category 5 system and crossed Rockhampton as a Category 3, eventually decaying into a tropical low by 21 February and dissipating entirely by early March.

The cyclone left significant destruction across central Queensland. Structural damage was widespread in the Yeppoon area and along the Capricorn Coast, with roofs torn off and walls destroyed. More than 60,000 homes lost power across Yeppoon, Rockhampton, and Bundaberg, and nearly 3,000 people sought SES assistance. Flooding affected towns including Jambin and Biloela. Total damage across Queensland reached approximately A$750 million. Due to its severity, the name Marcia was retired and subsequently replaced with Mingzhu in October 2016.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia