Sydney, March 6: The weather department in Queensland, Australia, has issued a serious warning for dangerous flooding. A tropical low-pressure storm system is moving towards the northeastern coast of the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology has indicated that this tropical low-pressure system is expected to bring heavy rainfall to a region 350 kilometers off Queensland’s tropical far north starting Friday morning.
They stated, “Locally intense rainfall is likely, which could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flooding.”
The warning area includes northeastern coastal towns such as Cairns, Port Douglas, and Cooktown, with a combined population of approximately 255,000.
According to forecasts, the region could receive up to 240 millimeters of rain in six hours and up to 300 millimeters within 24 hours.
Earlier, meteorologists warned that this tropical low-pressure area has a 45% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone as it approaches the coast. However, as of Friday morning, the likelihood was only 5%, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The storm is expected to begin near the town of Cardwell, but the heaviest rainfall will occur to the north, close to Cairns, Port Douglas, and Cooktown. On March 2, emergency warnings were issued for life-threatening flooding in the southeastern states of Victoria and New South Wales.
The Bureau of Meteorology had also issued severe weather warnings for heavy and locally intense rainfall in central and northern Victoria, as well as in the south and southwest.
It was noted that on Monday, the warning area could see up to 100 millimeters of rain in six hours, affecting a 650-kilometer stretch from the town of Simmer in central Victoria to Broken Hill.
Emergency service branches in Victoria and NSW have advised people not to drive through floodwaters and to stay away from waterways.
Updates on flood watches issued by the Bureau of Meteorology on Sunday indicated that heavy rainfall could impact more than 20 reservoirs.
–
Leave a Comment