Tropical Cyclone Kirrily barrels towards Australia’s east coast with a major Aussie city in the firing line – here’s when the category 2 storm will hit
The countdown has begun for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, as flood-hit regions in Queensland brace for more devastation.
Widespread flooding is expected to hit the state after the cyclone already hit northern Queensland on Thursday evening.
It is now planned to cross the coast as a Category 2 system, with the 90 kilometer area between Townsville and Ayr currently in the line of fire.
“It is incredibly important that individuals and households prepare,” Queensland Premier Steven Miles said.
Queensland emergency crews will receive support from the Interstate and Australian Defense Forces as they prepare for a second cyclone in just a month.
The cyclone is expected to cause widespread heavy rain and life-threatening flash flooding (photo, forecast for seven days of rain in total through Sunday)
The cyclone is expected to be followed by devastating flooding, with up to a meter of rain falling in some areas (Photo: A Holloways Beach resident as Cyclone Jasper approaches landfall in Cairns in far north Queensland on December 13)
Many are still fatigued by the massive recovery efforts launched after Cyclone Jasper devastated the far north and killed seven people in storm-related incidents in the south-east in December.
They are on high alert as Cyclone Kirrily is set to form in the Coral Sea early Wednesday morning.
The disaster is expected to hit the coast just 24 hours later, Thursday evening or Friday morning, bringing devastating winds and ‘life-threatening’ flash flooding.
“We will see heavy and intense rainfall as this system moves through and beyond,” said Laura Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology.
“We can also expect intense rainfall that could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding… near the center of this system.”
Heavy showers that could lead to flash flooding will affect north of Townsville to south of Mackay before moving inland to Cairns on Thursday.
Communities near Cairns were hardest hit by Jasper, a Category 2 system when it caused record flooding in mid-December that destroyed homes and led to evacuations.
Kirrily is then expected to weaken to a tropical low and bring significant rainfall to the central and southern interior of the state until next week, raising concerns about flooding.
Millions of Australians have been told to brace for impact as Cyclone Kirrilly barrels towards Queensland, dumping up to a meter of rain in some areas.
Cyclone Kirrily is expected to make landfall between Cairns and Mackay late Thursday or Friday morning
“This could be a very widespread event, but also a long-lasting event,” Ms Boekel warned.
Authorities say people should prepare for two events: the impact of Kirrily and the major flooding that will follow.
“(It) is going to be a challenging time due to the large geographical spread of this event across Queensland,” Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said.
“During the disaster season we have already lost seven lives… in two days – we don’t want to experience that again.”
Police have already flown north, while additional emergency services are on standby from Townsville to Rockhampton, including rapid water rescue teams.
Energy workers have also been deployed to help cyclone-hit areas.
Cyclone Jasper wreaked havoc on Cairns when it made landfall on December 13 last year
Heavy rain, already brought by the tropical low system, caused water outages in Port Douglas on Monday (photo, repair crews)
Damaged supply routes have led to food shortages in Australia’s north, with Darwin residents frustrated by the lack of meat available at their local Coles (above)
More help could be on the way, with the Prime Minister already providing backup for the exhausted crew members.
“The fact that we are effectively preparing for both of the events that we experienced in December… we are likely to need additional support from other states and the Australian government,” Mr Miles said.
Authorities stopped short of asking Queenslanders to cancel their Australia Day long weekend plans, but asked them to monitor warnings and reconsider camping in remote areas.
A cyclone has already formed off the Australian coast.
Cyclone Anggrek is located 570 km west of the Cocos Islands off the coast of Western Australia, and the Category 1 system is expected to leave Australian waters on Thursday.
Meanwhile, WA is now under a tropical low that has caused flooding and evacuations in the Northern Territory.
The low is moving slowly across the Pilbara region, triggering a severe weather and flood warning, with heavy rain possible in parts of northern WA.
It is expected to ‘run out of juice’ as it travels south later this week.