Australia is on high alert as six storms brewing across the country and its territories are expected to gain strength in the coming days.
One of these systems is anticipated to trigger life-threatening flooding in the northern regions, while three others have a moderate chance of developing into tropical cyclones by Monday, News.az reports, citing foreign media.One of the tropical lows — while unlikely to develop into a cyclone — is expected to bring intense, gale-force winds and potentially life-threatening flooding along parts of Queensland’s coast from Friday evening into the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The bureau has not flagged that any of the other tropical lows, even those expected to become tropical cyclones, are expected to cause onshore damage. Some of the lows are forecast to impact Christmas Island and Cocos Islands, to the northwest of the Australian mainland.
Cyclones and storms can impact crops as well as mining and energy infrastructure, with a tropical system off Australia’s northwest coast earlier this month damaging the nation’s busiest iron ore port and delaying Rio Tinto Group’s shipments of the steelmaking material.
Warmer ocean temperatures are expected to increase the number of severe tropical cyclones in the nation before the season ends in April. That warning comes as climate change continues to supercharge extreme weather events around the world, with 2024 being the hottest year on record.
The storm in Queensland could see half-a-meter of rain fall in a 24-hour period in coastal areas in the north of the state between Friday afternoon and the weekend, according to the bureau. River flooding is also expected to increase over the weekend and continue into next week, it said.
“That’s more than water just moving over roads and footpaths, possibly coming into your home,” said meteorologist Miriam Bradbury in a update published to the bureau’s X account. “That is flooding that occurs very quickly and could pose a sudden a significant risk to your life and personal safety,” she said, adding that damage to property and crops is likely.
The affected region is a popular tourist destination, with close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. It also accounts for large swaths of the state’s sugarcane growing region, most of which is exported.
Last year, a cyclone in a similar region saw some farms lose more than half their sugarcane crops, denting the nation’s overall production. There were eight cyclones that formed in the 2023-24 season, with four making landfall.
