Aussies living across the eastern part of the country and the Northern Territory are being urged to “batten down the hatches” as a “zombie cyclone” makes its way throughout Australia.
Tropical cyclone Owen is expected to wreak havoc on the Queensland coast over the coming days as it intensifies from a category one system to a category three on Wednesday afternoon.
Heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 224 kilometres per hour are forecast as the cyclone moves east from the Northern Territory.
The Gulf of Carpentaria has already felt the effects of the storm, which are said to be the worst the country has seen since March this year. Winds of about 75km/ph were recorded at the centre of the cyclone throughout the early hours of Wednesday morning, along with 100km/ph wind gusts.
While #CycloneOwen is still goin', we'll continue to update the #cyclone forecast track maps on our website. If you or someone you know may be affected, there are tips on reading those maps at https://t.co/JUeZVWeAAY. pic.twitter.com/AvVN8ssAvj
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 11, 2018
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted the cyclone will track down the east coast over the weekend and combine with a low pressure system in southeast Queensland leading to widespread heavy rainfall.
Cairns could receive up to 50mm on Friday, while those in Townsville and Mackay should be prepared for a downpour on Saturday with predictions of 70mm and 80mm respectively.
Meteorologist Harry Clark told The Courier Mail the rainfall will be fairly widespread hitting areas right across Queensland.
However, Queensland is not the only state likely to feel the effects of the tropical cyclone with heavy rain expected throughout New South Wales and the southern states.
According to meteorologist Dr Adam Morgan some areas in these regions could experience more than their average rainfall for the whole month in less than one day.
“Across eastern and southern Australia many places may pick up more than their December average rainfall in just one day,” he said in an announcement on Tuesday.
“In New South Wales it’s not out of the question that some thunderstorms could deliver 70mm or more within just an hour. Severe thunderstorms may lead to flash flooding and there may also be the risk of damaging wind gusts and large hail from some thunderstorms.”
As the cyclone intensifies those living along the border of Queensland and the Northern Territory as well as those in Burketown have been advised to follow weather updates and take precautions as the storm hits.
Read more: Sydney battered with torrential rain causing major floods across city
Regional controller Travis Wurst told the ABC people travelling through this area should be wary of the conditions and avoid flooded roads.
“You don’t know what the road conditions are,” he said. “There could be submerged branches or trees, and crocodiles are an ever present danger in the top end.”
This comes just weeks after Sydney experienced torrential rains which flooded the city. The New South Wales capital received over 100mm of rain in mere hours, around 20mm more than the usual average for the whole of November.
The severity of the storm also caused power outages across much of Sydney leaving thousands in the dark for hours on end.