Severe cyclone to hit Australia's Queensland

By Anadolu staff

A severe cyclone flanked by torrential rains is likely to hit Queensland, Australia on Thursday, the Met Department said.

It warned that a Coral Sea storm could become powerful enough to be declared a cyclone by Tuesday, which will dump heavy rains and a potential storm surge as it crosses the Queensland coast, Australia Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday.

The system could develop into a category one cyclone on Tuesday and reach category three strength by mid-week, it added.

It is expected to move inland from Friday and become a tropical low, weakening its intensity.

"We are expecting this system to intensify to tropical cyclone intensity within the next 24 hours or so, at which time it will be named," Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.

The warning comes over a month after Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland Coast near Wujal Wujal, which resulted in devastating flooding across the region.