Willis Island
Aerial view of Willis Island in 2006
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Coral Sea |
| Coordinates | 16°17′17″S 149°57′54″E / 16.288°S 149.965°ECoordinates: 16°17′17″S 149°57′54″E / 16.288°S 149.965°E |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Area | 7.7 ha (19 acres) |
| Length | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Width | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Administration | |
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Australia
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 Australia
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| Location | Willis Island Coral Sea Australia |
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| Coordinates | 16°17′15.6″S 149°57′53.1″E / 16.287667°S 149.964750°E |
| Construction | metal skeletal tower |
| Tower shape | square prism tower |
| Light source | solar power |
| Characteristic | (2) F G |
| NGA number | 9886 |
| ARLHS number | K3206.55 |
| Managing agent | Australian Maritime Safety Authority |
Willis Island is the only permanently inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands Territory, an external territory of Australia, located beyond the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. The island is located some 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Cairns, Queensland. It is the southernmost of the Willis Islets, a group of three islands which with their associated sandy cays stretch in a NNE to SSW line for about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). Willis Island itself is aligned NW to SE and is about 500 metres (1,600 ft) long by 150 metres (490 ft) wide, 7.7 hectares (19 acres) in area, rising to about 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has a weather monitoring station on the island. There are usually four weather observers, one of whom is Officer-in-Charge, and one Technical Officer (electronic engineering) living on the island.
The Willis Island weather monitoring station was established in 1921 and equipped with a radio transmitter in order to provide a cyclone early warning service for Queensland. The first officer in charge was John King Davis.
On 2 February 2011, sometime shortly after 08:30 AEST, the eye of Cyclone Yasi moved directly over Willis Island as a Category 5 tropical cyclone. Four station staff had been evacuated the previous day. A wind gust speed of 185 kilometres per hour (115 mph) was recorded by the weather station equipment before the anemometer failed. The barometric pressure fell to an exceptionally low 937.9 hectopascals (27.70 inHg). Around 9:00 am, radar data was disrupted. Roughly an hour later, communication with the island was completely cut off. The cyclone was so strong it altered the shape of the island and cleared much of its vegetation.
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Wikipedia