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Urgent warning to thousands as TWO cyclones circle Australia bringing torrential rain, flooding and destructive winds
- Queenslanders told to prepare for gale-force winds and heavy rain on Monday
- Meteorologists said category one system developing off far north Queensland
- Tropical Cyclone Kimi expected to cross near Port Douglas Monday afternoon
Queenslanders are hunkering down for gale-force winds and heavy rain as a tropical cyclone barrels towards them off the state’s far-north coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Sunday declared the formation of tropical Cyclone Kimi – a category one storm – about 140km northeast of Cooktown.
Kimi is expected to move south west and cross the north tropical coast between Cape Flattery and Port Douglas on Monday afternoon.
The bureau warned it may rise to a category two rating before making landfall and wreaking havoc on the coastline.
On the other side of the country, severe weather warnings are in place in Western Australia as a second cyclone – Cyclone Joshua – moves south west over the central Indian Ocean.
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Tropical Cyclone Kimi – a category one system – is forming about 140km northeast of Cooktown
Pictured: Flooded streets in Brisbane in October. Queenslanders are on high alert as a tropical cyclone gathers pace off the state’s far-north coast
Strong wind warnings are in place for the Leeuwin Coast, Albany Coast and Esperance Coast in the state’s south on Sunday and Monday.
Residents along a 650km stretch of coast from Cape Melville to Cardwell in northern Queensland were advised to immediately start preparing for Cyclone Kimi, securing boats and property during daylight hours.
Gale-force winds up to 120km/h are forecast to hit those areas from Sunday evening and extend to Palmerville and Chillagoe on Monday as the cyclone moves inland.
A flood watch was also activated, with heavy rainfall forecast for coastal and nearby inland areas between Cape Flattery and Cardwell from Sunday afternoon.
Other towns and cities within the warning area include Cooktown, Cairns, and Innisfail.
Queensland Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Shane Kennedy told Daily Mail Australia the cyclone could lead to flooding from the region’s already swollen rivers.
‘There is the risk of the cyclone intensifying as it crosses onto land with the risk of damaging and destructive winds between Cooktown and Innisfail,’ he said.
Pictured: Cyclone Kimi as it hovers near the far north Queensland coast on Sunday evening
Cyclone Joshua is moving south-westwards over the central Indian ocean on as of 2pm on Sunday as strong wind warnings are issued for Western Australia
‘Most of the activity is offshore at the moment but we could see those conditions along the coast deteriorate in the next 12 to 24 hours.’
He said Cairns already received 35mm of rain since 9am on Sunday.
The bureau also warned of more potentially severe thunderstorms for southeast Queensland on Sunday afternoon and Monday.
There were reports of two to three-centimetre hailstones at Edens Landing, south of Brisbane, on Saturday as thunderstorms hit.
Rainfall around Brisbane averaged 15-30mm, while 30-60mm totals were felt further north on the Sunshine Coast.
Despite the rain, Brisbane had its hottest day since December 16, 2019 as the mercury topped 35.3C on Saturday.
Ms Wong expects heatwave conditions to continue in the state’s northwest before easing by mid-week.
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