Cyclone Jasper (not pictured) is forecast to hit the coast on Wednesday as a category two system. Source: NASA, Wikimedia Commons
Residents across north Queensland, including further south in Mackay, are being warned of damaging winds as Cyclone Jasper heads towards the coast.
The severe weather warning from the Bureau of Meteorology was expanded south to Mackay on Sunday.
Cyclone Jasper is predicted to cross the coast as a category two system.
Senior meteorologist Angus Hines said that while the system weakened from a category four on Saturday to a category one on Sunday, it was still a “significant weather system.”
Jasper is expected to continue moving towards mainland Australia over the next few days but may potentially “re-intensify slightly… before making landfall,” Hines said.
Hines said the system is currently predicted to make landfall between Cape Flattery and Cardwell on Wednesday.
“We will certainly start to feel the effects of the storm earlier than that even though it’s positioned out over open waters,” he said.
“That will start with the winds picking up across parts of the Queensland coast.
“Strong to damaging wind gusts are forecast from Monday with a current severe weather warning in place for Mackay up to Bowen.
“It’s going to be extremely intense.”
Hines said the most damaging weather is expected at the time the cyclone hits the coast on Wednesday.
“That is likely to generate damaging to destructive wind for parts of the Queensland coast,” Hines said.
Hines also said that heavy rain brought with the system could lead to flooding on the coast as well as further inland, and that there would be “exceptionally dangerous conditions” out on the water.
“That can cause significant damage to property, it can bring down trees, powerlines, cause widespread power outages,” Hines said.
Cairns has also been warned of a possible storm surge – where coastal waters rise significantly above high tide levels, and large amounts of water is pushed inland.
The Cairns Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) said in a statement that the storm surge may affect areas up to 4.5 metres above sea level.
“Storm surge is a threat to life and property. People in these places should prepare now for possible storm surge,” the statement read.
“People who are caught in the worst of it… it’s going to be extremely intense and very severe weather.”
