Cyclone Monica intensifies

by Weather Bureau QLD and Sail-World on 18 Apr 2006 Just a month after cyclone Larry devastated north Queensland, Tropical Cyclone Monica has been upgraded to a category 2 at 4am (AEST) Tuesday.

At 7 am EST, Tropical Cyclone Monica was centred near latitude 12.8 south longitude 148.4 east, which is 450 km kilometres northeast of Cooktown and 530 km east of Lockhart River.

A Cyclone warning is current for coastal and island communities between Torres Strait and Cape Flattery. A Cyclone watch extends south to Cooktown, and elsewhere on Cape York Peninsula north of Aurukun.

Tropical Cyclone Monica is expected to intensify further and continue moving on a general westward track over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Damaging winds are possible between Torres Strait and Cape Flattery from early Wednesday. The very destructive core of Monica with wind gusts up to 170 km/hr is expected to be near the coast between Cape Grenville and Cape Melville on Wednesday morning.

Tropical Cyclone Monica is expected to continue moving west and cross the northern Cape York Peninsula on Wednesday evening and move into the Gulf of Carpentaria overnight on Wednesday.

People in coastal and island communities between Torres Strait and Cape Flattery should commence or continue preparations especially attempting to secure boats and property.

'It is expected to cross the northern Cape York Peninsula coast on Wednesday morning as a category three tropical cyclone with gusts up to 170km/h,' a weather bureau spokesman said.

'Monica should then continue to move westward into the Gulf of Carpentaria.'

A weather bureau spokesman commented 'Even though tropical cyclone Larry hit the coast with extreme intensity, there were no deaths and only a handful of minor injuries, and that's largely due to the preparations and safety precautions people took before and during the cyclone,'