Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila Advances Gradually Toward Queensland, Residents Urged to Prepare

Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila has resumed its advance toward Far North Queensland, bringing renewed attention to the powerful weather system’s trajectory.

Currently, Cyclone Maila is positioned approximately 1,300 kilometers from Australia. Over the next few days, it is predicted to shift gradually in a southwesterly direction.

The cyclone, packing wind gusts reaching up to 260 kilometers per hour, is classified as a Category 4 system. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, it is anticipated to make landfall as early as next Monday.

After a brief stall between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Cyclone Maila is once again on the move. Forecasters note its current pace is around 10 kilometers per hour as it heads toward Queensland.

“We expect it to approach the Far North Queensland coast by Sunday, continuing into Monday morning,” said Jonathan How, a senior meteorologist. “There is growing confidence that it will progress toward Cape York.”

How said current modelling pointed to the cyclone making landfall either late next Monday or early Tuesday.

It is forecast to decline to at least a category three cyclone before then.

The weather system is expected to impact a large area of Far North Queensland between Cooktown and the Lockhart River shire, which was struck by Tropical Cyclone Narelle last month.

“Communities in these areas could see further damaging to destructive winds as well as heavy rainfall and flooding and coastal erosion,” How said.

Meanwhile, a second storm, currently a tropical low, is forming in the Indian ocean off to the north-west of Western Australia and Fiji.

The Bureau rates it a moderate chance to attain cyclone status from mid-next week.

A third weather system, Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, is continuing to move southwards today, the Fiji Meteorological Service said.

It is roughly halfway between Fiji and New Zealand with winds of 95km/h near the centre.

It is expected to make landfall on Sunday.

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