QLD cyclone Jasper confirmed after monster hail batters Gympie

Queensland is bracing for its first cyclone of the season after parts of the state were battered by massive hailstones.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has confirmed a tropical low it was keeping a close eye on has developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone.

The low moved south from the Solomon Sea into Australian waters on Tuesday, picking up intensity as it swept over the Coral Sea.

Cyclone “Jasper” could soon become a category 3 storm before intensifying further into a category 4 cyclone, which could mean winds of 199 km/hr and gusts up to 279km/hr.

The BOM said it was a “slow moving” cyclone travelling just 13km/hr and could make landfall next week.

The BOM said Tropical Cyclone Jasper is creating winds of 75km/hr near its centre, with gusts of up to 100km/hr.

“It is expected to intensify, becoming a severe tropical cyclone during Wednesday while tracking south-southwest towards the northeast Coral Sea,” the BOM said.

Jasper is the first tropical cyclone to develop during the official 2023 season, which usually runs from November 1 to April 30.

“It’s early,” Sky News Weather meteorologist Alison Osborne told news.com.au.

“El Nino usually delays the start of our active cyclone season. This will be the first cyclone to develop in Queensland waters in December in an El Nino year”.

The news comes after the Gympie region of Queensland was battered with large hailstones.

Residents on Gympie’s southside reported hail bigger than golf balls as a series of storms swept across the region and down to the northern Sunshine Coast.

The biggest hail recorded in the city centre of Gympie was closer to a baseball in size at 8cm in diameter, while 10cm diameter hail was reported at nearby McIntosh Creek.

The region was also hit with heavy rain.

Residents and workers across the city centre frantically raced to park their cars undercover as the cell passed over shortly before midday Monday.

Hail stones of all shapes and sizes, smooth and jagged, pelted the city centre for more than 10 minutes with regular “shots” ringing through the air as the chunks of ice bounced off awnings and roofs.

Staff at Gympie’s Tenpin Bowling and Entertainment shared a video of the downpour at the height of the storm, saying “the weather is crazy”.

“Oh my Lord,” the staff member can be heard saying as torrential rain sent water gushing across the car park amid the ping of hail stones.

One Gympie resident said she was caught totally off guard.

“OMG, did not see that coming. Absolutely smashed on the southside,” Renae Wilson said on a post showing the size of hail that fell at her property.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• tropical low: low pressure weather systems that can bring powerful thunderstorms and lots of rain
• intensity: strength of the storm
• influx: come in
• cell: the storm system

EXTRA READING
What causes hail and is it dangerous?
World’s biggest iceberg sets sail
Freak summer hailstorm buries city in ice

QUICK QUIZ
1. Where in Queensland did the massive hail fall?
2. What was the largest hailstone recorded?
3. How fast is cyclone Jasper moving?
4. When would the cyclone likely hit the Queensland coast?
5. When is tropical cyclone season in Queensland?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Cyclone preparation
Now that the weather system has turned into a tropical cyclone, it could range in intensity from number 1 to 5, with category 5 being the most severe.

How should Queensland residents prepare themselves and their property in case Jasper turns into a severe tropical cyclone?

How to cyclone proof a house?

What necessities should they have in the home?

What plan should they have (shelter and survival)?

How to prepare the children?

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What risks do hailstorms like the one in Gympie, Queensland pose to people and property?

Make a scrunched up ball the size of the largest hailstone recorded near Gympie the other day to visualise the size of the stones.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.