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Earth

Australia reels under storm assault

22 March 2006

Larry’s fury may be only a foretaste of what is to come. North-eastern Australia felt the full force of the category 5 tropical cyclone on Monday. Gusts from cyclone Larry reached up to 290 kilometres per hour, injuring at least 30, damaging thousands of buildings and leaving more than 80,000 homes without power.

In recent decades the number of strong cyclones forming in the Australian region has increased, while the total number of cyclones has dropped, says the Australian Bureau of Meterorology based in Melbourne.

The trend mirrors weather patterns in other parts of the world. Last year, Kerry…

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