Cyclone watch, temps to plunge amid monster surf warnings

Lower temperatures but monster surf – that’s the forecast Gold Coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology is back on cyclone watch this week with a low pressure system forming in the Coral Sea, while in South East Queensland temperatures are expected to plunge as coastal areas remain on alert for strong winds and giant surf.

The bureau’s Patch Clapp said while the low pressure system had a 10 per cent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone, residents were still advised to stay across updates.

“We have a couple of low pressure systems in the north of the state,” Mr Clapp said. “We do know that a tropical cyclone season does last until the end of April so we aren’t entirely in the clear yet. At this stage it is not looking like the systems will turn into a tropical cyclone, or even hit land as most of it will fade out over the Gulf of Carpentaria and northern parts of the Coral Sea.

“Our projections are predicting a 10 per cent chance of it forming into a tropical low. People should still stay over the watch points and stay up to date if it does turn into anything major.”

Early BoM indicators forecast the low pressure system, named tropical low 13U, to form along a trough in the far northern Coral Sea, near Louisiade Archipelago Papua New Guinea mid to late in the week.

The low then may initially move to the south in the middle of the week, before moving westwards towards Cape York Peninsula over the weekend.

Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and much of the western interior are forecast to be hit with a week of cooler temperatures.

“Most notably, a lot of South East Queensland will be hit with cool and dry south, southwesterly winds,” Mr Clapp said.

“It will be the first real taste of autumn conditions. We will have cooler overnight temperatures even starting from tonight and into tomorrow.

“Around Brisbane, minimum temperatures will be around that 14C to 15C, and even cooler further away from the coast in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt regions.”

As well as cooler maximum temperatures, southeast coastal cities have been warned of strong winds and high swells over the coming days.

“Strong wind warnings have been issued from the Gold Coast up to the Sunshine Coast, so if people are preparing to be out on the water this week it is definitely something to take into account,” he said.