By David Fogarty
SINGAPORE, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Cyclone Yasi is the strongest storm to threaten Australia in living memory, but the country has long record of powerful cyclones causing death and destruction.
Only Australia's relatively sparse population along much of its northern coastline has limited the damage in the past. But booming mining communities, ports, agriculture and tourism businesses mean more property in the path of storms.
Scientists say Yasi's size and strength is being fed by historically high sea surface temperatures that are providing fuel and moisture to power the storm.
The region is also in the grip of one of the strongest La Nina weather patterns that historically bring floods and an increase in cyclones during the Australian storm season from November to April.
Yasi's current strength is similar to Hurricane Katrina, which reached maximum category 5 in the U.S. Gulf before weakening a little as it made landfall near New Orleans, triggering a massive sea surge that flooded the city.
Forecasters are also expecting a large storm surge to hit the northern Queensland coast.
In the recent past, a number of powerful cyclones storms have hit Australia.
Cyclone Tracy wiped out much of the city of Darwin on Christmas Day 1974, killing 71 people. The anemometer at Darwin airport recorded a gust of 217 km/h before the instrument was destroyed, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Cyclone Larry ravaged the northern Queensland town of Innisfail in March 2006, becoming Australia's second costliest storm after Tracy.
Weeks later, Cyclone Monica became one of the most intense cyclones ever recorded as it moved just off the coast of the Northern Territory, sparing major townships.
Cyclone George in March 2007 was a large category 5 storm that struck near Port Hedland in northwest Western Australia state, causing three deaths and widespread flooding.
Cyclone Olivia in April 1996 generated a wind gust of 408 kph (255 miles per hour) on Barrow Island off the Western Australian coast -- a world record.
Scientists can't yet say if cyclones are becoming more powerful because of global warming.
But a major global study in 2010, based on complex computer modelling, found that tropical cyclones will become stronger, with the intensity increasing between 2 and 11 percent by 2100.
And while in some regions, such as the western Pacific and around Australia, the average number of storms might decrease, the number of intense storms in the category 4 and 5 range will increase, along with wind speeds and the amount of rainfall. (Editing by Nick Macfie)
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