Cape York communities are on high alert ahead of Tropical Cyclone Nora, which developed into a category three on Friday night, but weakened slightly on Saturday afternoon.
Warnings were in place for all Queensland areas from Karumba to Mapoon, including Weipa and Mornington Island, as it moved southeast at close to 18km/h.
On Saturday afternoon the cyclone was affected by dry air coming off the Cape York peninsula as it moved east. It remained a category three but was no longer predicted to intensify to a four.
Earlier warnings for the Northern Territory side of the gulf had been cancelled.
The storm was already producing winds of 140km/h near its centre and gusts up to 195km/h.
However authorities warned winds could pick up and become very destructive – at speeds up to 180km/h – if the core of the cyclone neared the coast.
“Coastal residents between Mapoon and the Gilbert River Mouth are specifically warned of the dangerous storm tide as the cyclone approaches or crosses the coast,” the bureau of meteorology said on Saturday afternoon.
“The sea is likely to rise steadily up to a level well above the normal tide, with damaging waves and flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by the authorities.”
Severe Tropical Cyclone Nora tracking southeast across the northern Gulf of Carpentaria, expected to move close to the Gulf coast in the next 12 to 24 hours. #CycloneNora Check https://t.co/AWJKLhynnl for latest Watch and Warning areas. pic.twitter.com/x5SQbTX2ct
— Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory (@BOM_NT) March 24, 2018
Gulf cyclones were more unpredictable, and a coastal crossing of the Cape York Peninsula was possible anywhere south of Weipa on Saturday afternoon or Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
It was expected to move slowly over land from Sunday afternoon.
Morning! Tropical Cyclone Nora is on the move, and this means you should make any last minute preparations now. Look around your yard and tie down any large items such as trampolines, kennels and swing sets. Pick up any kids bikes or toys outside and move them inside your house. pic.twitter.com/5SAcMPB9iv
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) March 23, 2018
Queensland’s emergency services commissioner, Katarina Carroll, said rapid response teams were being assembled in preparation, including swift-water rescue specialists stationed along the Gulf and up the western coast of the cape.
“These crews will have the ability to fly into any area requiring assistance within four hours of being notified and will be self-sustaining for 48 hours,” she said on Friday.
An initital flood watch was in place for coastal catchments between Townsville and Cape Tribulation and for the Gulf rivers and Cape York Peninsula.
The bureau said recent monsoon activity had “primed” catchment areas for river level rises, and some communities could find themselves cut off.
The forecast winds were strong enough to cause roof and structural damage if Nora hit a populated area.
No cyclone has crossed the coast in the forecast area since 2001, but the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said she was happy with the preparations.
State Emergency Services personnel and extra police had been deployed to remote communities, and Palaszczuk said regional mayors would be updated every three hours.
Schools could be closed next week, she said, after a meeting with the disaster management committee on Friday afternoon.
This year’s cyclone season has been particularly active.
On Saturday, another cyclone, named Iris, formed near the Solomon Islands. Iris was a category one, but was predicted to increase to a category two.
Last week, the category two cyclone Marcus hit the city of Darwin, bringing down hundreds of trees and power lines, damaging homes and buildings , and cutting off electricity and water, in the most damaging event in 30 years.
Marcus moved across the top of Australia and out to the Indian Ocean where it intensified to an enormous category five storm, with wind gusts up to 325km/h. It was the strongest storm to form in Australian waters in more than a decade. It has since diminished to a category three and is expected to weaken as it approaches the WA coast.
