A weather system brewing off Australia’s north-west coast may lead to an increased risk of tropical cyclone activity ahead of Christmas, according to Weatherzone.
Communities in northern Western Australia near the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts are being advised to keep an eye out for cyclone warnings throughout the week, with a moderate risk of extreme weather tomorrow and Wednesday.
Abnormally warm ocean temperatures in the region have increased the cyclone risk, with some areas as hot as 32 degrees – more than two degrees above the average at this time of year.
“One tropical low has already formed near the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This system is expected to cause increased shower and thunderstorm activity over the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the next few days, although at this stage it only has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone,” meteorologist Ben Domensino explained.
“Another low is forming closer to Australia, sitting to the north of the Pilbara coast on Monday morning.
“A third tropical low could form over the Timor or Arafura Seas later this week, roughly to the north of WA’s Kimberley coast. While it’s too far out to have high confidence with this system, some computer models suggest that it could develop into a tropical cyclone off the north coast of WA later this week or early next week.
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“At this stage, there is a moderate chance of this system developing into a tropical cyclone this weekend or early next week.”
Warm seas provide more energy to developing storms and low pressure systems, which can help them strengthen into tropical cyclone.
There is no guarantee cyclones will hit before Christmas, but residents in the area should keep an eye out for further updates.
