Cyclone Jasper to bring strong winds north of Gladstone from today as it tracks towards Queensland - ABC News
Winds are likely to ramp up north of Gladstone from today as Cyclone Jasper continues to track towards Queensland's coast.
Jasper has weakened to a category two cyclone, and is now forecast to cross the coast on Wednesday anywhere between Cape Melville and Cardwell as a category three system.
Senior forecaster Shane Kennedy says parts of northern Queensland will receive steady rainfall of between 50 and 200 millimetres by Wednesday.
"A flood watch is likely to be issued for north-eastern catchments most likely during Monday, potentially Tuesday, just in anticipation of that rain," he said.
"So certainly flooding is a fairly common thing we see with tropical cyclones and this one looks to be no exception."
The system is expected to weaken, but could still re-intensify to a severe cyclone before it lands.
Heavy rains north of Mackay could exceed 200 millimetres mid-week, and a flood watch for north-eastern catchments is likely, Mr Kennedy said.
"As Jasper approaches the coast and likely crosses it, we'll see that rainfall turned more into steady rain, and the daily rainfall is likely to be between 50 to 200mm or more during Wednesday and Thursday, and we could certainly see some isolated totals in excess of that," he said.
Meanwhile, in Cairns, the gondolas have been removed from the Esplanade Ferris wheel ahead of Jasper's approach. The ride is cyclone rated and does not need to be fully dismantled ahead of an extreme weather event, according to Cairns Regional Council.
James Cook University has also cancelled its Cairns graduation ceremony, which will now be delayed until March next year.
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