On 20 January a cyclone with wind gusts estimated at 195 km per hour hit Mackay. Thirty people were killed in Mackay and Rockhampton. In Rockhampton 1400 homes were damaged by the subsequent flooding of the Fitzroy River.

A storm surge created waves of up to 2.7 m which broke in the centre of the town. The cyclone generated rainfall of 1141 mm over three days which flooded the Pioneer River. Further south, the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton peaked at 9.3 m where on 23 January six people drowned. The news of the disaster did not reach the outside world for five days due to the breakdown of available communication links.