How low will it go? Tropical system has Queensland on cyclone alert
A tropical low weather system off Queensland’s coast has a high chance of forming into the first cyclone of the summer.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the weather system around the Solomon Islands will intensify and begin tracking towards northeastern parts of the Coral Sea on Wednesday, before further intensifying into a severe tropical cyclone on Thursday.
“During next week there is a chance that the system could move into the vicinity of the Queensland coast,” the BOM’s tropical cyclone forecast said.
Forecasts from the bureau indicate the tropical low will form into a category one cyclone late on Tuesday, before intensifying to a category three on Thursday.
Modelling suggests the weather system is likely to come close to the Queensland coast over the next week, BOM meteorologist Steven Hadley said.
“Some of the modelling has even suggested it could come through as far south as Brisbane, but it would probably be an ex-tropical cyclone by then, in the longer term,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane on Tuesday.
“Potentially, we are looking at something crossing the coast next week or as early as late this weekend as some of the more recent guidance that we’ve been looking at shows.
“But more likely than not, it would be in the tropical areas of Queensland … it’s just really too early to say just yet.”
Should the system develop and intensify into a cyclone close to Australia, it will be named Jasper.
