Video: Although tropical cyclone Debbie, yesterday a Category 4 beast, has now been downgraded to a tropical storm carrying a severe weather warning, this footage of the cyclone at near peak intensity captured from the International Space Station shows that this doesn’t mean Australians should take it lightly.
The eight-minute clip reveals just how furious a storm like this can grow. Despite Debbie losing power when it finally made landfall on Wednesday, the region is still being subjected to intense winds and strong rainfall, up to 500mm, according to the BBC, leading to flash flooding which can be equally dangerous for residents.
Despite being downgraded to a category two storm as it moved inland, Debbie still made landfall with winds gusts of up to 150km/h, wiping out power lines and turning anything not nailed down into flying shrapnel. It’s said to be the most devastating storm to hit Queensland since 2011, and Australia isn’t in the clear just yet — the country’s cyclone season will last for about another month. Debbie almost certainly won’t be the last storm.