Two of the country's strongest cyclones occurred on the North Queensland coast in 1918. The Mackay Cyclone struck Mackay and surrounding regions in late January 1918, in addition to a devastating storm surge and extensive flooding. A Category 4 cyclone with barometric pressure at the eye as low as , Mackay and Rockhampton experienced the death of some 30 people, hundreds of injuries, and 60 million damage. Of the approximately 1400 homes in the Mackay township, 1300 were destroyed or severely damaged.