BRISBANE, Australia, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- People in Australia's North Queensland have been warned to prepare themselves for damaging winds of up to 120 km an hour as a tropical low pressure is moving closer to the coast, local media reported on Wednesday.
A cyclone warning remains in place for coastal and island communities from Port Douglas to Mackay.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warns the system, about 590 km northeast of Townsville, is forecast to form into a cyclone before it makes landfall on Friday morning.
Winds are expected to increase further with damaging wind gusts up to 120 km an hour developing about the coast from Wednesday evening and extending inland during Thursday and Friday, according to the BOM.
A king tide of up to 4.12 meters is forecast for Friday morning as the storm reaches land.
"Coastal residents between Port Douglas and Hamilton Island are specifically warned of the dangerous storm tide as the developing tropical low approaches the coast, particularly on the high tide on Thursday and Friday," the forecaster said in a statement.
"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 help their neighbors."
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Lee Johnson urged people living in the zones to prepare their properties and listen to advice from authorities.
"Whilst the advice from the bureau this time is that it will be a low category if it does form, we're still going to get very, very strong winds, certainly flooding rains and on the coast damaging wave action," he told reporters.
|
