Key Points
- A cyclone watch is in place for some remote communities in northern Australia
- The Bureau of Meteorology says the tropical low has a moderate chance of becoming a cyclone
- People have been evacuated from the Northern Territory community of Beswick
Residents in northern Australia are bracing for the worst as the eye of a potential tropical cyclone inches closer to remote communities.
A cyclone watch was upgraded to a warning, with Gulf of Carpentaria coastal areas to be hit hard by gale-force winds and heavy rain.
The system is set to move southwest towards the NT, cross the coast and move onshore.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the tropical low had a “moderate” chance of developing into a cyclone.
Communities across Borroloola, Groote Eylandt and Mornington Island in the NT are set to be affected by the tropical low even if a cyclone does not develop.
“Whether or not this intensification occurs we still anticipate areas of strong winds and heavy rain across parts of north Queensland and the Northern Territory,” the bureau’s Angus Hines said.
Gale-force winds up to 100km/hr are set to hit the region by Friday afternoon.
In the coming days, daily widespread rain of 50 to 100mm is expected with isolated falls of 150 to 200mm.
“We could even see rainfall totals above and beyond that particularly around far northwest Queensland around the coast of the Gulf,” Mr Hines said.
Flood watches are current for northwest Queensland.
“Many of these areas have had major flooding in the past couple of weeks associated with ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily,” Mr Hines said.
“In a number of these spots particularly in north Queensland the floodwaters are still easing from the last round of flooding.
The system is set to move southwest towards the NT, cross the coast and move onshore. Source: Getty / DAVID GRAY
“Of particular concern are the Doomadgee and Burketown regions where many roads are closed and communities are still isolated – further flooding is a possibility into those hard-hit regions.”
Residents on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf were already reporting heavy rain and wind gusts on Thursday, with flood warnings also issued for the Katherine River.
In the NT people have been evacuated from the Beswick community south of Katherine, while residents in Burketown in Queensland were also airlifted out.
The state’s Gulf region is still reeling from widespread flooding caused by ex-cyclone Kirrily which crossed the Queensland coast weeks ago.
Tropical Cyclone Jasper also caused record flooding in the far north in mid-December.
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