By Matthews, AA; Beattie, RN; Burgess, DJW; Leverington, KC
Cyclones cross the Queensland coast at infrequent intervals and occasionally cause damage to sugarcane crops. Recent examples are 'Dinah' in 1967, 'Ada' in 1970, 'Kerry' in 1979 and 'Winifred' on the 1st February 1986. The latter storm crossed the coast near Innisfail and caused severe and extensive damage to buildings and crops. The Weather Bureau recorded maximum wind velocity of 176 kilometres per hour during 'Winifred'. Damage to sugarcane was most severe in the area from Tully to Babinda. North of Babinda, damage tapered off, with Mossman being unaffected. The crop loss in Ingham was very light and due mainly to flooding.