Northern Territory residents who live near the Gulf of Carpentaria are being told to get ready because Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to hit land on Monday as a category three storm.
IN SHORT
Tropical Cyclone Megan Threatens Northern Territory
- The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warns Northern Territory residents about Tropical Cyclone Megan’s potential landfall as a category three storm.
- The storm, currently a category two, is expected to intensify over Sunday as it heads south towards the Gulf of Carpentaria coast before making landfall as a category three storm.
- The BOM predicts the system could hit the Northern Territory as early as Monday, likely crossing the coastline between the Nathan River and the territory’s border with Queensland.
- Groote Eylandt residents are at risk of damaging winds of up to 11 km/h as gales blast the island’s east.
- Further gales are expected to develop between Numbulwar, in the NT, and Mornington Island, in Queensland, throughout Sunday.
- The BOM warns that winds will become even more dangerous once the storm makes landfall, with some areas potentially set to face gusts of up to 200 km/h in the coming days.
- Locals also face the prospect of massive downpours, including the potential for “dangerous flooding,” with strong tides also posing a threat to coastal communities.
- Residents are urged to enact household plans and protect homes and businesses from the storm.
- Queensland’s Fire and Emergency Service also warns residents of Mornington Island to stay up-to-date with the latest information and consider actions if the cyclone threat increases.
On Sunday, people in parts of Australia’s Northern Territory and Queensland state were told to get ready for a tropical cyclone. People in the Gulf of Carpentaria were warned of “significant hazards” because Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to grow into a category three storm on Sunday night.
People from Groote Eylandt to Mornington Island in Queensland are going to have to deal with “very destructive” winds and heavy rain that could lead to flooding.
The weather forecaster said Megan was likely to get stronger in category three later on Sunday. People in the danger zone were told to get their homes ready for strong winds.There are flood alerts out there, and the Bureau of Meteorology says it will get “severe” on Sunday night.
There are warnings out because Tropical Cyclone Megan is getting stronger. In less than 24 hours, it rained 400 mm in the Northern Territory.
More gales are likely to happen on Sunday between Numbulwar in the NT and Mornington Island in Queensland. People in Borroloola are also likely to be hit.
The damaging winds could reach the Robinson River in the middle of the state on Sunday night and into Monday morning if Cyclone Megan moves faster to the south.
The BOM says the storm could hit the NT as early as Monday. It will probably go along the coast between the Nathan River and the border with Queensland.
A typhoon named Megan has formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It’s going to get as strong as Cat 2 tonight and Cat 3 Sunday night before it hits land on Monday.
The BOM also said that once the storm hits land, the winds will be even more dangerous. In the next few days, gusts of up to 200 km/h could happen in some places. “Intense rainfall is possible in Groote Eylandt and coastal parts of the Carpentaria District during the weekend,” it stated.
“Destructive wind gusts in excess of 125 km/h are likely about the southwestern Gulf of Carpentaria coast, near the system center, later today (Sunday),” the forecaster told us.
“The very destructive core of Tropical Cyclone Megan with wind gusts up to 200 km/h is expected to cross the coast between the Nathan River in the Northern Territory and the Northern Territory/Queensland border on Monday or early Tuesday morning.”
The Fire and Emergency Service of Queensland also told people on Mornington Island to keep up with the latest news.
“Heavy rain is falling over the eastern parts of the Top End and will continue all weekend. The heaviest falls will happen today along the coast and on islands, but on Sunday the rain will move further inland into the Carpentaria forecast district and along parts of the Queensland Gulf Country coast.”
“People who live along the coast between the Nathan River and the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland are being warned of a dangerous storm tide as the center of the cyclone crosses the coast.”
As it goes along the coast, wind gusts of up to 200 km/h could do a lot of damage. “Those wind speeds are really strong,” Ms. Bradbury said.
“They will damage things; we’ve already heard of damage along parts of the coast, including Groote Eylandt.”
Another thing to worry about is high waves.
“We expect tides to be much higher than the highest astronomical tide,” Ms. Bradbury said. “This is the highest high tide you can get.”
“There’s what we call a cone of doubt. “Basically, there are still a lot of different ways this could go, but right now, we expect the crossing to happen along the coast west of the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland,” Ms. Bradbury said.
People who live in the path of the cyclone are being told to make plans for their homes and companies to protect them from the storm. The NT Emergency Service is also telling people to be “extra careful” on the roads.
As soon as it hits land, Cyclone Megan is expected to move west across the NT. As it does so, it will quickly lose strength and turn into a tropical low.