Published on : Saturday, March 23, 2019
As Veronica threatens to cause a flood disaster in northwestern Australia, the dangers to lives and property are expected to expand well away from where Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor made landfall on Australia’s Northern Territory early this weekend. The Category 4 cyclone has sustained winds of 95km/h gusting to 115km/h at Centre Island, just off the coast near Borroloola.
With Veronica targeting the Pilbara Coast, this is marking for the second time in Australia’s history that two Category 4 or above cyclones make landfall within 24 hours of each other, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology. Trevor’s dangers prompted a state of emergency to be declared in the Northern Territory, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The largest mass evacuation in the state since Cyclone Tracy in 1974 was performed by the Australian Defence Force.
Many residents of Groote Eylandt and Borroloola were transported by aircraft to Darwin. Other people have been transported out of the area by bus. While the worst of Trevor is expected to bypass Groote Eylandt, damage to well-built homes, widespread tree damage and prolonged power cuts can occur in Borroloola on Saturday. As Trevor continues to move inland, its powerful winds will quickly weaken. The dangers in terms of flooding, however, will not lessen.
Heavy rain from Trevor is anticipated to sweep across more of the Northern Territory and into northeastern South Australia and southern Queensland Sunday and into Tuesday. Rainfall along this swath can total 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 300 mm (12 inches). In the desert locations such as Birdsville, these totals would mean that a nearly a year’s worth of rain can pour down in one to two days.