Urgent warning TWO cyclones could form as wild storms batter Australia – here’s where they will hit

Two cyclones could form off the Australian coast as soon as this weekend, including one near Far North Queensland – just weeks after record flooding hit the region.

Help continues to arrive for the far north after record flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Jasper. A $24 million tourism recovery and resilience program was unveiled on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Steven Miles were in Cairns to announce the additional funding which will further support local tourism, clean-up efforts and investment in specialist recovery staff.

“This beautiful place has been devastated by this disaster, and we want to help far north Queensland get back on its feet as quickly as possible,” Mr Albanese said.

But more heavy rain will hit the far north, with a monsoon trough expected to develop in the Gulf of Carpentaria and turn into a tropical low on Friday.

“As of Sunday, there is a remote chance that… (the tropical low) will develop into a tropical cyclone,” the Bureau of Meteorology said on its website.

BoM showed another low off the coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which could also lead to a cyclone.

The chance of a cyclone forming in Queensland depends on the movement of another system west of Darwin, called 03U.

“If the other (03U) does not develop into a tropical cyclone, there is a slightly increased risk that the other one in the Gulf will develop as there will be more energy in the trough system,” an agency spokesperson said. .

Even if it doesn’t develop into a cyclone, a tropical low in the Gulf will bring heavy rain to far northern areas already reeling from devastating flooding after Jasper struck less than a month ago.

“A daily decline of 100 mm to 200 mm would not be ruled out along the Gulf coastal areas,” the agency spokesperson said.

The Far North is still recovering from record rains in December, with Mr Albanese and the Prime Minister flying over flood-hit Cape Tribulation on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister pledged Australian Defense Force support for the devastated area before Wednesday’s funding announcement.

As part of the $24.25 million package, grants will be available to tourism operators in the Far North hit hard by the disaster.

It will also fund a marketing campaign to attract more visitors back to the region.

Three cyclone resilience officers will be appointed to work with local industries, municipalities and farmers to support recovery.

Premier Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Steven Miles were in Cairns to announce the additional funding which will further support local tourism, clean-up efforts and invest in specialist recovery staff.

BoM showed another low off the coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which could also lead to a cyclone

Recovery project managers will also be assigned to the worst affected areas, the Wujal Wujal and Douglas Shire municipalities north of Cairns.

Work continues to clear the roads in the far north. The main Captain Cook Highway will reopen between Ellis Beach and Port Douglas on January 20.

About 30,000 tons of mud and debris have already been removed from the road, while 15 trucks make about 100 trips a day.

There won’t be a single lane open on the nearby Palmerston Highway until mid-February.

The Prime Minister and Mr Miles on Tuesday unveiled a $20 million emergency aid package for the state’s south-east, which was hit hard by storms over the period between Christmas and New Year.

In total, more than $50 million is expected for storm and cyclone recovery in Queensland.

South-east Queensland could be hit again by severe storms as it rebuilds.

A major recovery effort, which could take years, is underway after seven people died in storm-related incidents, with Scenic Rim, Logan and the Gold Coast in the south-east hardest hit.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that Scenic Rim could experience rainwater again on Wednesday.