‘Landphoon’ in north, as WA cyclone upgraded to category four
UPDATED: North Queensland residents are being told to brace for flash floods after a ‘landphoon’ hit on Monday. Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Hayley’s status was upgraded on Tuesday morning.
The monsoon system reaching from the Northern Territory into the Queensland Gulf has delivered heavy rainfall, with residents in North Queensland being told to prepare for flash floods.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued multiple flood warnings, including on the coast and interior parts of western Queensland, which it said could suffer 300mm of rain.
After heavy rain yesterday, Townsville is forecast to receive another 140mm while Cairns could see 100mm in just one day.
“As we head into the next few days, that monsoon low and monsoon trough are very slow-moving, and the rain is expected to persist over the same area for a prolonged period,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said.
“But we will see a gradual shift with that rainfall moving further south and further east in the next few days,” he said.
“In terms of flooding, we are expecting to see the impact last for quite some time and communities could be cut off for days if not weeks.”
You might like
On Monday, Forecaster Weatherzone said the ongoing deluge was due to a large, complex monsoonal low pressure system – “which some meteorologists call by its unofficial title of a ‘landphoon’ “.
“A ‘landphoon’ is a large low-pressure system with strong winds which resembles a tropical cyclone over land,” Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard said.
“The low pressure system forms embedded in the monsoon trough and has winds wrapping into it from both hemispheres, then spinning around it. There’s a huge convergence of tropical air that leads to flooding rainfall and strong, gusty winds.”
Tropical Cyclone Hayley upgraded to category four
Stay informed, daily
A looming cyclone off Western Australia’s Kimberley coast has intensified to a category four system, bringing heavy rain and storms to isolated communities.
Cyclone Hayley was upgraded on Tuesday morning (AEDT), but was forecast to weaken to category three before making landfall on Tuesday evening or Wednesday.
It was about 290 kilometres north-west of Broome, in north-west WA early on Tuesday.
“Severe Tropical Cyclone Hayley is forecast to bring severe impacts to the northwest Kimberley coast later today,” the weather bureau said.
“Hayley is likely at its peak strength, and is forecast to start weakening today (Tuesday) prior to landfall. However, it is still forecast at category three strength prior to landfall.”
Cyclone Hayley’s predicted path as it approaches WA’s northwest coast. Photo: BOM
Communities in the Kimberley can expect increased showers and thunderstorms, heavy rain, possibly damaging winds, and a storm surge as the cyclone approaches.
Hayley is the third tropical cyclone in the Australian region this season, following Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina in November and Tropical Cyclone Grant in December.
