Willis Island, Weather monitoring station on Willis Island, Queensland, Australia
Willis Island is a small island off the coast of Queensland, located about 420 kilometers east of Cairns in the Coral Sea. It measures about 500 meters in length and 150 meters in width, rising approximately 9 meters above sea level.
The island was established in 1921 as a permanent weather station by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to monitor cyclones. This setup shaped it as an important early warning system for storms in the region for more than a century.
A small research station with permanent staff members who collect weather data daily while protecting the local plants and birds on the island. The location serves as a vital observation point for monitoring weather conditions across the sea.
The island is remote and not accessible to the general public; visiting is only possible for authorized personnel with meteorological or scientific duties. Visitors should know that the island sits in an area frequently affected by tropical storms and severe weather conditions.
Cyclone Yasi struck the island directly in 2011 and significantly changed its shape and vegetation. The reconstruction projects that followed showed how the infrastructure can withstand extreme weather events.
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