Big cyclone could strike

A SEVERE Category 3 cyclone is likely to form off Queensland this weekend, the weather bureau has warned.

A cyclone watch has been issued for the Cape York Peninsula coasts and the Northern Territory’s northeast as a tropical low continues to develop in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the low, now in the Arafura Sea, was forecast to reach cyclone strength in the Gulf late today, before intensifying to a severe Category 3 system during the weekend. BoM Queensland manager Bruce Gunn said the main impacts would be gale force winds and possible coastal inundation.

“At this stage the low is forecast to track into the Gulf of Carpentaria where environmental conditions are favourable for further intensification during the weekend or early next week,” he said. “We are urging the public stay tuned for the latest official warnings.”