Tropical Cyclone Jasper to become more severe, prompting Queensland weather warnings for 500mm rain, heavy winds
Residents in north Queensland have been told to prepare for up to five days without power, amid warnings that the approaching Tropical Cyclone Jasper could dump 500mm of rain in 24 hours.
Jasper is expected to intensify on Tuesday, ahead of making landfall north of Cairns on Wednesday afternoon.
Gale-force winds are expected to hit several communities from Tuesday, including Cairns, Innisfail, Palm Island and Wujal Wujal.
The system weakened to a category 1 as it moved west towards the coast across the weekend but is forecast to re-intensify before making landfall near Port Douglas, north of Cairns, as a category 2 on Wednesday afternoon.
The bureau has warned minor to major flooding is possible across the Cape York peninsula, north tropical coast and adjacent Gulf of Carpentaria catchments.
It’s flagged the potential for lifethreatening flash flooding between Cape Flattery and Port Douglas, which includes Cairns, with six-hourly rainfall totals of 250-300mm likely and 24hourly rainfall totals of 400-500mm possible.
If the slow-moving cyclone is delayed further, it could develop into an even more intense system, prompting authorities to take considerable precautions.
“If the system is slower and crosses overnight Wednesday or Thursday, a slim chance remains of a severe category 3 crossing,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Evacuation centres have been set up across the region, with Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles warning of a significant risk of flash flooding when Jasper makes landfall.
“It will then progress across the Cape, affecting some of the most vulnerable Queensland communities,” he said.
Evacuation centres have been set up in Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown.
Sandbags have been provided in Cairns where about 15,000 properties are at risk of storm surge flooding with a king tide predicted.
The Cairns hospital is also vulnerable, prompting contingency plans including sandbagging and the cancellation of elective surgery on Wednesday to free up capacity. A nearby aged care facility may also be evacuated.
Cairns airport remains operational but a number of airlines have indicated there will be schedule changes or flight cancellations.
About 40 police officers and 70 SES workers have travelled to the far north to help.
“It’s been over 60 years since we’ve had a direct hit,” Cairns mayor Terry
James said.
“The roads will be cut off, potentially the power will be cut off. We tend to lose our power with a lot of rain and the onslaught of a cyclone.”
James urged locals to stock up and be prepared for up to five days without power.
About 450 Energy Queensland staff have been deployed to Rockhampton and Townsville in preparation to respond to potential power outages.
All national parks and campsites north of the Daintree River have been closed.
People have also been urged to avoid road travel throughout far north Queensland.
On Monday, it was revealed four BoM staff at a remote weather station on Willis Island had been evacuated by HMAS Brisbane, a Royal Australian Navy guided missile destroyer.
The emergency evacuation commenced early Saturday morning, when an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter conducted four sorties to transport the personnel. The operation was conducted during heavy seas, with waves of three metres and winds at 46 km/h, before bureau personnel disembarked in Sydney.
Co-owner of far north Queensland tourist attraction Paronella Park, Judy Evans said they were expecting to close from Tuesday afternoon until at least Friday.
“At the moment, it is an hour-byhour situation,” Evans said.
“We have no idea what is going to happen, but we have to keep our staff and our guests safe.”
The police commissioner, Katarina Carroll, asked people – especially visitors or new residents in the region – to heed the warnings of authorities.
“We do have a lot more people in the state, new people that have not experienced this before.
“It’s school holidays, so we have people on beaches, a lot more people travelling as well, and there will be a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time.” – Rafqa Touma contributed to this report