Cyclone Maila set to become severe as Queenslanders watch and wait
Australia is on alert for another hurricane as forecasters warn there is great uncertainty about the path of the Category 2 system.
Tropical Cyclone Maila is developing in the Solomon Sea and winds are expected to reach 120 km/h next week, reaching Category 3 status.
While Maila’s path is still unclear, Queensland could face the brunt of the storm over the next seven days.
“There is currently a lot of uncertainty among weather models as to whether a tropical cyclone will impact Queensland over the next 7 to 10 days,” Sky News meteorologist Tamsin Green said.
Where is it now?
Maila is currently located in the Solomon Sea, approximately 610 km west of Honiara and 810 km east of Port Moresby, and is slowly moving west-northwest.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone will drift over the Solomon Sea until midweek, when it is expected to move southwestward.
“It appears that this system could develop into a severe tropical cyclone over the next week,” Ms Green said.
Where can it go?
This is where things get difficult.
The system is not expected to directly affect the Queensland coast before midweek, but what will happen next remains unclear.
“There are still further implications at this stage. There is potential for this system to start slowly moving westwards towards the Queensland coast towards the end of next week,” Ms Green said.
However, many scenarios are still possible, including the hurricane remaining offshore, moving towards the Northern Territory, or moving north around the Cape York Peninsula.
“It may be out at sea as it moves westward towards the north of the Cape York Peninsula,” he said.
“New NT could move closer to land or move eastwards, remaining in the Coral Sea and not affecting any of the Australian mainland.
“So it’s definitely something to keep an eye on because a lot of things can change in the next few days.” Ms. Green said.
