Australia is being lashed by damaging winds and heavy rainfall as Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirrily makes landfall, the biggest system to hit the Queensland coast in almost five years.
Kirrily is crossing near Townsville as a Category 3 system, and very destructive wind gusts at 170 kilometers (106 miles) per hour may occur, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland on Friday, the weather forecaster said.
“We could see hundreds of millimeters coming through in just a period of six or eight hours as this system moves across the coast,” said Miriam Bradbury, a meteorologist at the bureau. “That could quickly lead to flash flooding.”
A storm tide is expected between Townsville and Mackay, and large waves may produce minor flooding along the foreshore, the bureau said. The last Category 3 cyclone that crossed the Queensland coast was Trevor in March 2019.
The state is still recovering from the widespread flooding that was unleashed by Tropical Cyclone Jasper last month, which inundated homes in the far north and damaged sugar crops. With the approach of Kirrily, it’s the first time that two systems have hit Queensland weeks apart since 2015.
Kirrily has led to the shutter of ports and prompted flight cancellations, with resorts and hotels across the tourism hotspot evacuating guests. The cyclone could impact sugar crops, mango, pineapple, avocado, chicken and dairy farmers in the region, according to the Queensland Farmers’ Federation.
Queensland accounts for about 95% of Australia’s sugar output. Kirrily is likely to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the Burdekin district south of Townsville, a major sugarcane growing region in the state.
The country’s cyclone season typically runs from November to April.
Photograph: Townsville residents fill sandbags in preparation for the on-coming cyclone on Jan. 24, 2024. Photo credit: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
Related:
- Two Australian Resource-Rich Regions Brace for Potentially Destructive Storms
- Cyclone Forming Near Australia’s Coast May Have ‘Severe Impact’
- Climate Change Makes Forecasting Harder, Australia’s Agriculture Minister Says
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