This was published 7 months ago
Cyclone crews race north as authorities caution on long-weekend plans
By Matt Dennien
Swiftwater rescue crews and generators are being sent to north Queensland before heavy rain and damaging winds driven by the looming Kirrily start buffeting island tourism hotspots on the eve of the Australia Day long weekend.
The weather bureau announced the long-lingering low intensified into a cyclone at 4pm on Wednesday, with landfall expected south of Townsville on Thursday night as a category 2 storm.
Tracking maps suggested it would then continue west towards the NT border.
Winds of 140km/h are being forecast for the region between Cardwell and Proserpine, including Townsville and the Whitsunday Islands.
The Bureau of Meteorology says intense rainfall that could cause “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding” is possible after the cyclone crosses the coast.
But authorities were still urging communities down to south-east Queensland to prepare for a long and widespread weather event likely to deliver downpours into early next week through already saturated catchments.
“While we are seeing a more westerly track of this cyclone … there are still areas of southern and south-east Queensland that could see quite heavy rainfall over the weekend,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Laura Boekel told a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has now formed off the Queensland coast and is expected to hit on Thursday.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology
“Heavy rainfall, riverine flooding and flash flooding will all remain a risk as the system moves inland after crossing, [with] a really large amount of water associated with it.”
Speaking before Boekel, Premier Steven Miles said the Townsville airport would close from midday on Thursday, with 100 emergency service crews – including swiftwater rescuers and 54 interstate personnel – to arrive ahead of time.
Having already cancelled his planned travel to the city, Miles urged others with plans for the long weekend to monitor forecasts and warnings, and “make sensible decisions”.
“Certainly, you wouldn’t want to be travelling great distances in these kinds of conditions,” he said.
As a category 2 cyclone, Boekel said the system would bring wind gusts up to 120km/h to the popular Whitsunday Islands and mainland coast between Ayr and Sarina, starting overnight on Wednesday.
“Coastal and island communities between Ayr and Cardwell, and that includes Townsville, will then start seeing the gales from Thursday,” she said.
Such winds would be strong enough to cause minor damage to homes, topple signs, trees and power lines, and break some small boats from their moorings.
Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said work was under way to get emergency generators to local disaster management groups, and Ergon crews to Rockhampton to deal with expected power network issues.
Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were expected to affect areas near the centre and south of the cyclone as it crossed the coast.
Boekel said that as the system moved inland, the amount of moisture in the atmosphere meant any shower or storm activity down to south-east Queensland could indirectly produce heavy rain and flash flooding.
Reminding residents of the free sandbags available at sites across Brisbane, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said while he hoped the south-east was spared, “we need to be ready”.
The warnings follow the far north drenching delivered by Cyclone Jasper last month before severe storms left destruction and flash flooding across parts of the south-east.
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