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03-09-2005, 02:00 PM
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BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) - Australia's north-eastern tip battened down for the arrival of Cyclone Ingrid, which despite weakening over the previous 24 hours remained potentially the worst storm to threaten in 30 years, experts said.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane said the cyclone, downgraded to category four, was about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Cape Melville in the eastern state of Queensland and moving towards the coast at eight kilometres an hour.
"Although Ingrid has continued to weaken a little, the cyclone still poses a serious threat to far north Queensland with a very destructive core and the potential to generate a dangerous storm tide," the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The storm, packing winds of up to 250 kilometres an hour near its centre, was expected to move southwest throughout the day and could reach the coast early on Thursday, the warning centre said.
Strong winds and driving rain had already begun to hit far-north Queensland, and destructive winds were predicted to hit overnight near where the cyclone was expected to make landfall, at the small community of Coen.
Some residents in the likely path of the storm evacuated their homes while others secured houses as well as they could by removing or anchoring all objects that could become airborne.
The potential impact of the cyclone had been worsened by predicted king tides, which could inundate low-lying areas.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre said there was a possibility Ingrid could again intensify to category five, but as a category four it remained as big a threat as Cyclone Tracy, which devastated the northern port of Darwin 30 years ago.
BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) - Australia's north-eastern tip battened down for the arrival of Cyclone Ingrid, which despite weakening over the previous 24 hours remained potentially the worst storm to threaten in 30 years, experts said.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane said the cyclone, downgraded to category four, was about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Cape Melville in the eastern state of Queensland and moving towards the coast at eight kilometres an hour.
"Although Ingrid has continued to weaken a little, the cyclone still poses a serious threat to far north Queensland with a very destructive core and the potential to generate a dangerous storm tide," the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The storm, packing winds of up to 250 kilometres an hour near its centre, was expected to move southwest throughout the day and could reach the coast early on Thursday, the warning centre said.
Strong winds and driving rain had already begun to hit far-north Queensland, and destructive winds were predicted to hit overnight near where the cyclone was expected to make landfall, at the small community of Coen.
Some residents in the likely path of the storm evacuated their homes while others secured houses as well as they could by removing or anchoring all objects that could become airborne.
The potential impact of the cyclone had been worsened by predicted king tides, which could inundate low-lying areas.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre said there was a possibility Ingrid could again intensify to category five, but as a category four it remained as big a threat as Cyclone Tracy, which devastated the northern port of Darwin 30 years ago.