Cyclone a possibility for Qld next week

QUEENSLAND is preparing for the very real possibility of a cyclone as the state’s bushfire crisis continues.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there’s a moderate chance that a low pressure system near the Solomon Islands will develop into a cyclone and head for the coast of Queensland.

“It is expected to move to the northern Coral Sea next week with a moderate chance of formation somewhere off the Queensland coast,” a bureau spokesman said yesterday.

He said Queensland was now in the grip of its severe weather season, facing challenging fire and heat wave conditions – and now the possibility of a cyclone.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said authorities were planning for the possibility of another natural disaster.

She said there was a 20 to 50 per cent chance of the low developing into a cyclone.

“Of course, we are prepared for everything,” she said.

“Queenslanders know that we’re accustomed to dealing with natural disasters and we will have plans in place for any eventuality,” she told reporters yesterday.