A tropical low was first identified in the Gulf of Carpentaria on January 17th. After spending several
days over land in the Northern Territory, the low tracked eastward across the Gulf and was named Category 1
Tropical Cyclone Oswald on the afternoon of January 21st, just hours before crossing the western Cape York
Peninsula coast near Kowanyama early on January 22nd. Oswald had little impact on its initial landfall, but
the remnant low moved southwards and produced severe weather over nearly all of eastern Queensland during
the following week. Destructive winds were recorded at Hay Point, near Mackay (a gust of 140 km/h was
measured). The low stalled west of Rockhampton for two days on January the 25th and 26th, producing over
1000mm of rainfall in some areas during the 48 hours and major flooding. Over the Wide Bay and Burnett
district the system had an even larger impact, with record flooding in the Burnett River, and major flooding
in the Mary River. An outbreak of at least five confirmed tornadoes, the numerically largest known in
Australia, occurred on the coast near Bundaberg on January 26th, with destruction occurring particularly in
the towns of Bargara and Burrum Heads. On Sunday January 27th the system moved further southeastward, and
far southeastern Queensland, including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast was pounded by
damaging to destructive winds, torrential rain, dangerous surf, and tidal inundation for up to 24 hours. The
Lockyer Creek, Bremer River, and the Brisbane River all flooded, though the flooding in the Brisbane River
did not reach the levels seen in the 2011 floods. Torrential rainfall and major flooding also occurred in
northeastern New South Wales with the system, which eventually tracked as far south as Sydney before finally
moving off the coast.
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