A tropical cyclone is a massive collection of whirling wind and dense cloud mass, spiraling clockwise around a central eye of exceptional low pressure. Cyclones can reach wind speeds in excess of 200km/h, and can therefore be extremely dangerous. On average, ten cyclones occur in the Australian region each year.

For more information about cyclones, visit the Queensland Government’s disasters and alerts web page or the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland cyclone page.

Cyclone tracking map

Learn more about how to plan and prepare for tropical cyclones on Get Ready Queensland. 

Maritime Safety Queensland has published extreme weather event contingency plans to tell you what to do if a cyclone warning is posted and how to respond to the different warning and/or alert levels, visit their website for more information. 

Storm Surge

A storm surge is a major risk associated with a cyclone, although, they can also form with low-pressure systems in non-tropical areas. A storm surge is a rise above the normal water level along a shore resulting from strong onshore winds and/or reduced atmospheric pressure. For further information on storm surges please visit Get Ready Queensland. 

To see if your property is at risk of storm surge please view Council’s storm surge mapping.

There are six storm tide evacuation zones, the Bureau of Meteorology will advise of predicted storm tide height.

Storm tide evacuation guide Get Ready Queensland - Cyclone and Storm surge

Gladstone has experienced a number of floods over the years and it is a significant risk to the region. There are a variety of sources for flooding.

Creek flooding happens when intense rain falls over a creek catchment. House and street runoff, heavy rainfall and the amount of water that existed in the creek are all contributing factors for creek flooding.

River flooding is caused by widespread rainfall over a prolonged period throughout the catchment of a river. Once the river is at capacity, the excess river will flow over the banks and cause flooding. A major risk to river flooding is the fact it can occur many hours after the rain has stopped.

Overland flow is run-off that travels over land during heavy rainfall events. These usually occur quickly and are affected by localised rainfalls and features including stormwater pipes, roads etc. Therefore, can be unpredictable. 

Tidal flooding can come from several sources, such as higher than normal high tide and storm tide. 

For current information about flooding go to the Queensland Government disasters and alerts web page or the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland weather and warnings web page. 

Visit Get Ready Queensland for useful information to assist you to get ready for a flood event.

Get Ready Queensland - Flood

Bushfires are unmanaged fires that burn uncontrollably and put lives and properties at risk. The severity of the bushfire season can be dependent on how dry the Winter and Spring have been. Not only the fire poses a risk from bushfires, burning materials, smoke, embers and heat can impact the community. 

The bushfire season varies significantly from year to year, depending on the fuel loads, long-term climate and short-term weather conditions in each area including humidity, frequency of rain.

Fire Danger Ratings

• Heatwave
• Tsunami
• Earthquake
• Landslide
• Pandemic