Cyclone Olga comes ashore

Tropical Cycloen Olga came ashore today weakened considerably than originally expected. Olga was expected to hit landfall as a Category 2 cyclone but instead weakened considerably just prior to coming ashore. Heavy rain persisted but the windspeed was greatly diminished.

 

Drenching rain but little damage as cyclone Olga hits northern Queensland  (The Australian)

ONE-TIME tropical cyclone Olga hit the north Queensland coast last night, packing 110km/h winds and drenching rains, but with mercifully limited destructive impact.

The low pressure system could now develop into the "perfect storm" if it folds into the remnants of another cyclone, Neville, to deluge farms, orchards and cattle properties and bring relief to coral reefs that were at risk of bleaching.

 

Olga crossed the coast near Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns, at about 2pm, bringing down trees and flooding roads in the thickly rainforested area.

 

No injuries were reported, but full-scale disaster preparations were activated as the cyclone approached, menacing communities from Cooktown to the tourist centre of Port Douglas.

 

The cyclone had almost blown itself out by the time it made landfall as a category-one storm, far weaker than the category-two system, with winds up to 140km/h, that had been expected.

 

"We haven't had strong winds over land, however there have still been some fairly strong winds further out to sea," said forecaster Tony Auden from Brisbane's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre.

 

The concern now is for the chance of heavy flooding, especially if the remains of Cyclone Neville Combine with Olga's remains to for a heavy thunderstorm. Additionally, Olga's path was projected to have the storm emerge in the Gulf of Carpentaria where reorganization and further strengthening could occur.

 

Quiet landing for Olga and Neville (Sydney Morning Herald)

A meteorologist at the bureau's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, Ann Farrell, said Olga was expected to move west while losing intensity until it moved into Cape York.

 

The system was then expected to emerge in the Gulf of Carpentaria either tonight or tomorrow morning, where there was a possibility it would reform into tropical cyclone intensity.

 

Ex-cyclone Neville was about 200 kilometres east of Cardwell last night but was expected to move towards the coast between Townsville and Innisfail by this morning.