WTF, I haven't experienced cyclones, but have experienced storms and blizzards in mountain areas. Also, have experienced gales in a sailing boat. Those conditions probably don't rate in comparison to a cyclone. Having been involved in outdoor activities for 50+ years I have relied on BOM's forecasts which have improved immensely.
I do not hold the conspiracy theory that BOM is fraudulent in the data they provide.

Until BOM says the winds were lower than the 280 km/h I will be believing them.

The important factors are that nobody was hurt; also, those who experienced losing their homes need every possible form of assistance possible

Ant, the BOM is a great service and their forecasts are indeed excellent and getting better all the time.

However, the BOM in Qld came under considerable media and political pressure after the 2011 Brisbane floods and a couple of other events, so it may be more likely to be prone to err on the side of caution for extreme events such as cyclones.

It always amuses me when people seeking to appear intelligent think that the best way to do so is to accuse others of conspiracy theories...

WTF?;
The actual readings are not academic;
They are used to set insurance risks and the construction standards.
The higher the average wind speeds over the total number of cyclones
is what is used by the insurance companies, so the truth is very important.

I suggest you look a bit deeper than the biased Fairfax organisation.

The ONLY point of Ms Marohasy's article is to yet again attempt to illustrate that the official entities such as BOM are still involved in the "great AGW conspiracy/fraud".

She continually cherry picks in all of her data and has been shown over and over again to have zero credibility.

Referring to a lower than predicted wind speed on one single recording station means nothing and is irrelevant ...unless she and GrahamY are suggested the 5000 damage claims so far submitted to insurers is fraudulent.

At least she and her supporters, while becoming more shrill, are being left behind and increasingly ignored as the world focuses on AGW solutions.

WTF?
Bazz,
Clearly I was making a point about the experiences of the people who suffer from the terrifying experience of a cyclone.

It follows an earlier point I made about being able to see through a lot of the bravado I hear about these experiences.

People who experience a cyclone do not generally care about categories and wind speeds.

I have, however, heard many pub bores telling the “southerners” about their experiences. They typically have all the facts and figures about categories, wind speeds, locations and damage bills along with a big dose of devil-may-care bluster.

This coupled with ridiculous media comments about the stoic attitude of Queenslanders in the face of natural disasters belittles the true experiences and difficulties some people in Yeppoon now face.

I think I will leave predicting cyclones to those qualified to do so. I would not criticize BoM for erring on the side of caution. Tropical cyclones are destructive storms. I find it difficult to believe that anyone would complain that a cyclone was not destructive enough. Suggestions that BoM are motivated by some sort of global warming conspiracy are not worth wasting time on.