Photo: Bureau of Meteorology
A cyclone watch has been issued from Bundaberg to Ballina, including Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts as Tropical Cyclone Oma approaches the Queensland coast.
The category two system is currently sitting about 950km north-east of Brisbane and is expected to continue moving in a general southwesterly direction for the next few days, bringing it closer to the southeast Queensland coast on Friday and over the weekend.
Oma’s motion becomes slow moving during Saturday but is then expected to track in a more north or north-west direction, remaining offshore through the weekend.
Although Oma is not expected to make landfall in the coming days it will be close enough to produce direct impacts along the Queensland and New South Wales coast.
Gale force winds are expected to develop along exposed coastal areas of southern Queensland during Friday, and may extend into coastal parts of Northern New South Wales on Saturday.
Severe Weather and Hazardous Surf Warnings are current with abnormally high tides and dangerous surf conditions expected to develop along the east coast of Fraser Island and Wide Bay coast north or Bargara later Thursday afternoon and evening.
These conditions are then expected to extend south over the remaining southeastern Queensland coast and northern New South Wales coast during Thursday evening and Friday.
People within the cyclone watch zone should consider what action they will need to take if the cyclone threat increases.
They are advised to:
- Stay indoors away from windows and keep children indoors.
- Don’t walk, ride your bicycle or drive through flood water, and keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
- Check your property regularly for erosion or inundation by sea water, and if necessary raise goods and electrical items.
- Stay out of the water and stay well away from surf-exposed areas.
For further cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit Queensland’s Disaster Management Services website (www.disaster.qld.gov.au) and for emergency assistance call the Queensland State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500.
