Cyclone fears melting away
DISASTER teams sent to Cairns at the weekend have travelled to the Townsville area as the threat from Cyclone Debbie moves further south. While the Far North’s thoughts are with communities in danger, our region can still expect some erratic weather. Tourists Maria-Jose Escobedo and Renata Miguel made the most of the hot, dry weather as they enjoyed an ice cream on Cairns Esplanade yesterday.
VISITORS to the Far North are revelling in the potential for cyclonic weather, despite the system being expected to cross the coast 500km south of Cairns.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Alex de Waal said tourists came to see Mother Nature at her best in the Far North and Cyclone Debbie didn’t disappoint.
“Cyclones are a part of Mother Nature and Mother Nature is why people flock to our part of the world,” he said.
“As we’ve seen during the weekend there are lots of happy visitors heading out to the Reef or up to the Tablelands. They’re experiencing what it’s like to live in Cairns and experience the lead-up to a tropical cyclone. The cyclone will only have a short-term impact on tourism here.”
He said the cyclone would also provide welcome relief for the Great Barrier Reef.
“The warm weather we’ve been having will also have a shake-up from the cyclone, which will be good for the Reef to cool it down and minimise coral bleaching,” he said.
Meteorologist Greg Connor said residents should stay alert despite the southbound tracking of the Category 4 storm.
“Cyclones do move erratically so residents and the whole community should be on high alert,” he said.
“Everybody should be paying attention to advice issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and by the Government.”
He said Cairns wouldn’t cop the brunt of the cyclone’s force, but could still expect some extreme conditions. “In Cairns we can expect winds to pick up during Tuesday and Wednesday, with strong west-northwesterly gusts,” he said. “There could be particularly gusty winds at Redlynch Valley and Northern Beaches too.”
He said the severe weather event would bring some better weather to Cairns after it crossed the coast between Ayr and Mackay.
“If Cyclone Debbie stays on its predicted track we can expect a very minor impact in the Cairns region, with plenty of fine weather,” he said.
“Inland of the Burdekin can expect good rain once the cyclone decays into a tropical low.”