Far North Queensland Braces for Cyclone Chaos: Tropical Low 12U Bears Down on Coast with 35% Chance of Developing into Monster Storm
- Tropical Low 12U is forecast to reach the far north Queensland coast by Saturday morning, bringing strong winds and heavy rain
- Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury warns of a 35% chance of the system developing into a tropical cyclone, with communities already inundated by rain urged to be on high alert
- Parts of the Cassowary Coast have already received over a metre of rain in the past week, with flash flooding, heavy rainfall and riverine flooding all potential risks by the weekend
Far north Queensland is on high alert as Tropical Low 12U bears down on the coast, with a 35% chance of developing into a cyclone by the time it makes landfall on Saturday morning. The Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury warned that the system was expected to “deepen and intensify with monsoonal flow” as it moves west into the weekend.
“So it’s definitely one that our tropical cyclone specialist team here at the Bureau is going to be watching really closely as the week goes on,” Ms Bradbury said, urging communities already inundated by rain to be prepared for the worst. “At this point in time it would be most likely to move close to the coast somewhere between Cooktown and Townsville.”
The warning comes as parts of the Cassowary Coast, between Cairns and Townsville, have already received more than a metre of rain in the past week following monsoonal rain. Tully, known as one of the wettest towns in Australia, experienced heavy rainfall last week, with residents bracing for more chaos.
Cassowary Coast Mayor Teresa Millwood said sandbags were available, with council crews checking the region’s major drains and creeks to prepare for more rain. “I think we were good last week because everything was empty but everything is quite full this time, so we need to be prepared,” she warned.
But not everyone is preparing for the worst. West of Cairns, on the Atherton Tablelands, dairy farmer James Geharty welcomed the rain, saying it had cooled the temperature down and brought much-needed relief to his cows. “The country is looking really good at the moment. It’s soft, it’s fresh,” he said.
However, the threat of cyclone chaos is all too real for some. On Monday morning, a rescue helicopter winched a man to safety from a motorhome on a flooded road about 100km west of Cairns. Emergency services were called just before 8:30am to Wolfram Road at Dimbulah.