Australia’s Towns Brace for Strong Floods in Jasper Aftermath: Thursday, people in Australia’s Towns Brace for Floods after Tropical Cyclone Jasper tore through the area, uprooting trees, cutting power to tens of thousands of people, and causing people to evacuate and close roads.
Australia’s Towns Brace for Strong Floods in Jasper Aftermath
Jasper had a significant impact on Queensland’s far north, which is home to numerous beaches along the well-known Great Barrier Reef. The storm hit land on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm, which is three levels below the most dangerous wind speed level.
The storm had been reduced to a tropical low and was moving northwest toward the Gulf of Carpentaria. The latest report from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said that the storm could get stronger again over the weekend and become a cyclone.
Even though the storm was downgraded, the weather office told people in areas hit by the cyclone that they would be getting heavy rain over the next 24 hours.
“This is an evolving situation and the rain hasn’t stopped yet and it’s likely to continue well into today and into this evening as well,” Laura Boekel, senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said at press conference.
Some places could get about 300 mm (a foot) of rain, which Boekel called a “life-threatening flash flooding” risk.
Operator Ergon Energy said that about 40,000 homes and businesses are without power. On TV, the streets were full of broken trees, and rescue workers were trying to clear the mess.
Local media said that eight people stuck on the roof of a house were saved from a flooded street near Port Douglas.
Officials say flights could start up again later Thursday from Cairns Airport, which is the entrance to the Great Barrier Reef.
While officials in the north plan to clean up, a lot of the neighboring state of New South Wales is getting ready for a severe heat wave on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104°F). The Greater Sydney area has been put under a total fire ban.
This summer, Australia is being affected by the El Nino weather pattern, which can lead to extreme weather like wildfires, tropical storms, and long droughts.
For the latest news about Jasper cyclone, check out: @bureauofmeteorology
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