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Well developed tropical cyclone, named 195303, identified northeast of Vanuatu, moving southwest.
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Cyclone continues southwest between February 14 and February 16, threatening to hit the east coast of Australia.
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Cyclone turns southward. Avoiding sudden landfall means the cyclone - instead of hitting one section of coast and abating - now threatens the entire southern Queensland coast and beyond.
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Coastal towns in QLD south of Rockhampton flooded and lashed by gale force winds as the cyclone continues slowly south at 18 km/h.
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Rain begins falling on the Far North Coast about midday, accompanied by gale force winds. By midnight on the 19th, torrential rain hammers the entire region.
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Dubbed “the night of horror”. The cyclone veers southwest and crosses the coast somewhere between Tweed Heads and Southport, passing over the Border Ranges.
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Making landfall quickly downgrades the cyclone to an intense low pressure system. By noon, the deluge was over, skies were clear and sunny.