Australia Bracing F0r2 Tropical Cyclones

Australia Bracing F0r2 Tropical Cyclones

by Amy Coopes January 30, 2011

SYDNEY (AFP) – Flood-shattered Australia braced f0rfurther downpours on Sunday as two tropical cyclones hammered toward the devastated northeast, threatening further misery f0ralready submerged towns.

Tropical Cyclone Anthony was intensifying as it closed in on Queensl, state, where it was expected to make landfall on Sunday night near the northeastern city 0f Townsville, the weather bureau said.

Abnormally high tides were forecast along the coast along with intense rain , flooding to catchments already brimming from a deluge that hit vast areas 0f the state earlier this month, swamping tens 0f thousands 0f homes , killing 35 people.

"After the summer that’s been you just think, 'Can any more cruel blows actually l, on Queensl, , the nation?' , unfortunately the answer seems to be yes," said Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

"We?re all made 0f tough stuff , we?ll get through this but this is another big cruel blow coming on top 0f what has been a summer 0f tragedy already."

An especially strong La Nina weather pattern is gripping Australia, bringing flooding rains , increasing the chance 0f cyclones due to cooler waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Record flooding devastated an area larger than France , Germany combined in mining , farming Queensl, state earlier this month after Tropical Cyclone Tasha unleashed huge downpours which engorged rivers to bursting point.

Currently a category two cyclone, Anthony is expected to peak on Sunday evening , weaken as it makes landfall, with winds 0f up to 165 kilometers an hour (100 mph) , between 200 , 400 millimeters 0f rain.

Queensl, Premier Anna Bligh said the looming cyclones -- the second 0f which has been forecast to reach a severe category four by the time it makes landfall on Thursday -- could bring renewed flooding to already swamped towns.

"We are looking at not only a potentially damaging cyclone but more very heavy rainfall which... could fall into river catchments , cause further flooding beyond the cyclone," she said.

The last category four cyclone to strike northeastern Australia, Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry, wrought almost Aus$1 billion in damage in March 2006 , unleashed some 0f that region's heaviest flooding in decades.

Queensl, weather chief Jim Davidson said the second cyclone, Yasi, would bring winds in excess 0f "several hundreds 0f kilometres" per hour , unleash rain over a large area, also whipping up severe storm tides.

Davidson said Cyclone Larry was the last time the region had faced such intense storms.

Bligh described Yasi as a "very disturbing weather pattern" , said authorities were preparing as best they reasonably could "f0rsomething 0f this size," insisting they were "battle ready not battle weary".

"This event has affected thousands 0f people, it's 0f a magnitude... way beyond anything any state 0f Australia has had to deal with," she said.

Another Tropical Cyclone, Bianca, was downgraded Sunday as it moved towards Australia's west coast. It was expected to dissipate by 2am Monday, , warnings were cancelled f0rtowns in its path.

Meanwhile a wall 0f floodwater continued to inch across southeastern Victoria state, inundated earlier this month, where scorching weather offered some limited relief.

"Obviously it is beneficial in the sense that it may aid some evaporation 0f the floodwaters , maybe even slow the spread a little bit, but the water will still be coming," said emergency spokesman Lachlan Quick.

"We are talking about a record amount 0f water creeping through that area."

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