Tropical Cyclone Imogen has formed Sunday afternoon in the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria and is expected to continue moving southeast.
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The BoM said the warning zone is from Mornington Island to Kowanyama, including Burketown and inland areas to Croydon.
Imogen is a Category 1 with winds near the centre of 65kph with wind gusts to 100kph and is located 130 kilometres north of Burketown and 165 kilometres northwest of Karumba moving southeast at 12kph.
TC Imogen is expected to move towards the east southeast and cross the southeast Gulf coast near Karumba tonight, or early Monday morning. Once Imogen makes landfall, it will become slow-moving over the southern Cape York Peninsula as a tropical low.
Gales with wind gusts to 110 km/h extend out to about 100 kilometres from the centre of the cyclone. These winds are already occurring on Mornington Island and are likely to develop about the coastal and island communities between Mornington Island and Kowanyama, including Burketown, from this evening and overnight until the cyclone makes landfall.
Coastal residents between Mornington Island and Kowanyama are specifically warned of the dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast on tonight's high tide. The sea is likely to rise steadily up to a level well above the normal tide, with damaging waves and flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by the authorities.
Heavy rainfall likely to lead to flash flooding, flooding of low lying areas and riverine flooding is likely about the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria coast and adjacent inland this afternoon. Heavy rainfall is likely to spread to remaining areas of southern Cape York Peninsula on Monday as the low or tropical cyclone moves onto the coast and further inland.
A separate severe weather warning is current for damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall elsewhere.
People between Mornington Island and Kowanyama, including Burketown, should remain inside until the cyclone has passed.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
