Australia is likely to see an above average number of severe tropical cyclones this season, according to the nation’s weather agency, which have the potential to damage crops and flood mining operations.
The likelihood of more strong storms is higher because of the warmer than average ocean temperatures forecast for the region in coming months, the Bureau of Meteorology said in its long-range forecast on Tuesday. Overall, the total amount of cyclones is expected to be around the long-term average of 11. The season runs from November through the end of April.
Over the years, cyclones have damaged iron ore export ports and shut natural gas operations in Australia’s west, and flooded coal mines and swamped sugar plantations on the east coast. Warm ocean waters fuel tropical storms, and heat across regions where cyclones form is forecast to be above average from the start of the season, according to the bureau.
There were eight cyclones that formed in the 2023-2024 season, with four making landfall. Jasper brought heavy rain to Queensland’s north in December, flooding homes and inundating sugar and banana plantations. In March, Megan damaged a manganese export port on Groote Eylandt and led to Glencore Plc temporarily shutting its McArthur River zinc mine in the Northern Territory.
Photograph: A tree is shown knocked over by strong winds on January 26, 2024 in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Topics Australia
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