quote:Cyclone warning issued for parts of Western Australia
A cyclone warning has been issued for parts of Western Australia's Pilbara coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a tropical low was located about 550 kilometres north of Port Hedland at 2:00pm (WST) and is moving south at around 20 kilometres per hour towards the coast.
The bureau says a cyclone may develop later on Wednesday and a warning is current for coastal areas from Wallal to Dampier, including the towns of Port Hedland and Karratha.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre's Adam Conroy says heavy rains and gale force winds are expected.
"The low's going to bring a fair bit of rain to the central and eastern Pilbara and we're also looking at gale force winds developing on the coast during Wednesday," he said.
"We certainly will see a fair few falls in excess of 100 millimetres and isolated heavier falls are possible near the coast."
Mr Conroy says the low is moving quite quickly.
"The low's developed reasonably rapidly off the coast," he said.
"Regardless of whether it does develop into a cyclone or not, it's still going to bring some heavy rainfall and squally conditions along the Pilbara coast during Wednesday."
Heavy rain in the Pilbara has already forced the closure of two national parks.
The Karijini National Park received 97 millimetres of rain overnight while the Millstream Chichester National Park recorded 125 millimetres.
The rain has caused flash flooding and inundation of roads and campsites in the parks.
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) says there is significant danger associated with flash flooding and gorges because water levels can rise very high, quickly.
The DEC is advising travellers to avoid the parks and stick to major roads.
People already in the parks are advised to stay with their vehicles and move to higher ground but not to cross floodways and streams.
Authorities are telling people to be prepared to leave if the situation worsens.
The DEC says with more rain forecast, the parks will remain closed under further notice.
quote:Cyclone Heide moving in
A category one cyclone has formed off Western Australia and is heading towards the Pilbara coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Heidi is expected to produce winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour in areas from Port Headland to Wallal early this morning.
The strong gales will extend west to Dampier later in the day.
The weather bureau says Heidi is unlikely to intensify beyond a category one system before reaching the coast.
It says tides will be higher than expected and rainfall in excess of 100 millimetres is possible across the central and eastern Pilbara, with heavier falls near the coast.
People in or near coastal and island communities between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Pardoo, Port Hedland, South Hedland and Whim Creek, need to begin making their cyclone preparations.
quote:Tropical Cyclone Heidi intensifies as it nears West Australian coast
THE alert level has been raised for a category 1 tropical cyclone off the West Australian Pilbara coast, as it increases in intensity and is likely to become a category 2 before it hits land.
A yellow alert has been issued for people between the coastal and island communities of Pardoo and Whim Creek, including the communities of Port Hedland and South Hedland, and residents have been warned to get ready to take shelter.
A blue alert remains in place for surrounding areas, including Roebourne, Port Sampson, Karratha and Dampier, and residents have been warned to prepare food and a first aid kit.
The weather bureau says Tropical Cyclone Heidi is estimated to be 185km north, north-east of Port Hedland and moving south at 15km/h towards the coast.
It is moving in a southerly direction towards the Pilbara coast, and could produce gusts to 100km/h in coastal areas, extending west during the afternoon.
The cyclone is expected to become a category 2 during the evening and is expected to cross the coast of Port Hedland overnight at 155km/h, the bureau says.
The Port Hedland Airport has been closed and some flights have been cancelled.
Port Hedland Port Authority spokesman Steed Farrell told AAP the port had activated its cyclone contingency plan at 4pm (WST) on Tuesday in preparation for the wild weather.
''We cleared inbound traffic into the port and cleared the port of vessels that needed to get out,'' he said.
Mr Farrell said the port would wait for word from the weather bureau before resuming operations.
The weather bureau says very heavy rainfall is expected later on tonight and overnight in the river catchments between Port Hedland and Karratha.
Up to 250mm of rain is possible across central and eastern Pilbara over the next few days with isolated heavier falls near the coast, the bureau says.
Residents in and near Port Hedland and east to Wallal have been warned of the potential of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast overnight.
Tides are likely to rise above the normal high-tide mark with very rough seas and flooding of low-lying coastal areas, the weather bureau says.
Tides elsewhere in the Pilbara should also be higher than normal.
Tropical Cyclone Heidi is the second cyclone of the season for the WA region, but is the first to affect the mainland.
It is the first to affect Port Hedland since severely devastating tropical cyclone George in 2007.
quote:Cycloon Heidi treft West-Australië
Het westen van Australië is getroffen door de tropische cycloon Heidi. Door de storm is de haven van Port Hedland noodgedwongen gesloten; het is een van de grootste ijzeropslagplaatsen in de wereld. Andere havens in de buurt zijn ook gesloten.
Een paar duizend gezinnen en bedrijven in de regio hebben geen stroom meer. Ook moest een aantal kustbewoners hun huis uit vanwege de hoge waterstand die door de cycloon werd veroorzaakt.
Er is nog niets bekend over mogelijke slachtoffers. Heidi trekt de komende dagen verder over land richting het zuidwesten van Australië.
quote:Tropical Cyclone Heidi soaks North West
You won't find a more cyclone hardened part of Australia, if not the world, than Western Australia's Pilbara Region. It's like a magnet for cyclones that form in the Indian Ocean to the north and West and in the Timor Sea to the Northeast. So you might think that category two cyclone Heidi that passed almost over the top of the tough iron ore town of Port Hedland would barely rate a mention. But surprisingly, this was Hedland's first cyclone since 2007 when Severe Tropical Cyclone George hit the region where it hurts, taking three lives in a mining workers camp.
Less well known than the big east coast cyclones Larry and Yasi, category 4 George tore through Port Hedland before ripping up mining camps and cattle stations. So there were more nerves than usual in the North West as Cyclone Heidi crossed the coast at almost the exact spot the deadly Cyclone George did five years ago.
Hedland resident and ABC reporter Elise Batchelor, described the strange affects the 130 kilometre per hour wind gusts were having on her home
"The manhole cover in our...ceiling...It was flapping like a wobble board Rolf Harris style and then just flew up and disappeared into the ceiling."
Power was cut to over 3,500 homes as the eye of Cyclone Heidi crossed the coast ten kilometres east of Port Hedland. Fears of a dangerous storm-tide did not eventuate as the cyclone slowed on approach to the mainland and crossed after the midnight high tides. But with over a hundred millimetres of rain dumped on the area, local flooding was an issue.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued flood warnings for coastal streams and river systems. Chris, a boilermaker at Nallagine said they've had over 200 millimetres of rain.
"It's rained solid for 28 hours now...There's like, huge puddles everywhere; there's not much dry land here." he said.
But early assessments have found no major damage, a couple of roofs were blown off and quite a few trees and power lines were blown down. The stoicism and hardiness of the region returned with the light of day and the realisation that damage was minimal.
"We're getting a fare bit of rain, but as long as the winds don't pick up then I think we should be pretty much right" said Graham Boyd, the principal at Yandeyarra Remote Community School, 100 kilometres south of Hedland.
The Great Northern Highway was closed for less than 24 hours to stop people driving into the eye of the storm. But with the passing of Heidi, the main road north was promptly reopened.
Chainsaws will be ringing out across what will be hot and humid days ahead in Port Hedland. Horizon Power have crews working to restore power. Heidi is destined to become a barely remembered event in a part of Australia where cyclones are a way of life.
quote:Possible tropical threat to Mozambique
An area of low pressure spinning over Indian Ocean waters off the coast of southern Africa threatens to bring torrential rain inland during upcoming days.
In fact, the low has the potential to become a tropical cyclone before reaching land.
Time for development is short, however, as the system is forecast to move into southern Mozambique on Monday.
Whether the disturbance becomes a tropical cyclone or not, it can bring rain heavy enough to trigger flooding in Mozambique's southern provinces, primarily Maputo, Inhambane and Gaza, beginning later Sunday night.
The risk of heavy rain will persist in the aforementioned areas through midweek while expanding into neighboring areas of Swaziland, northeastern South Africa and southeastern Zimbabwe. In areas of steep terrain, especially in northeastern South Africa, there can be mudslides.
Should the low grow into a tropical cyclone, there would be strong and locally damaging winds along the coast of southern Mozambique on Monday.
quote:Tropical Depression Dando Flooded Mozambique
NASA's Terra satellite captured a look at Tropical Depression Dando as it was making landfall on January 16 in Mozambique. Dando's light to moderate rains caused flooding and displaced residents of the capital city of Maputo. Dando has since dissipated.
NASA's Terra satellite passed over Dando on January 16, 2012 at 07:50 UTC (2:50 a.m. EST). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Instrument aboard Terra captured a visible image of the storm, and showed that it had good circulation with an identifiable center of circulation. The bulk of clouds and rainfall associated with Dando at that time was within its southern quadrant, as the clouds appeared thicker and whiter on satellite imagery.
According to the Associated Press, almost 500 people were displaced from their homes in Maputo from the flooding generated from Tropical Depression Dando. Dando made landfall on January 16, 2012 bringing light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds. The rainfall may not have been heavy but it was enough to cause the closure of low-lying bridges and roads. All Africa.com reported on January 18 that areas of Mozambique are flooded.
Gusty winds from Dando caused damage to schools and homes in the Inhambane and Gaza provinces. Fortunately, there were no human deaths associated with the storm, however, AllAfrica.com reports as many as 1,000 goats perished in the Gaza province. Agricultural damages were also reported there.
quote:Flooding hits Kruger Park South Africa
Torrential rain unleashed by a dissipating tropical depression triggered flooding in northeastern South Africa this week.
After causing flood and wind damage in and near Maputo, Mozambique, early in the week, the dissipating Tropical Depression Dando poured flooding rain over nearby South Africa, including the vast Kruger National Park.
Weather observations seen by AccuWeather.com showed rainfall of nearly 15 inches at Hoedspruit, and about 11 inches at Skukuza. The rain fell between Tuesday and Thursday. Skukuza is located within Kruger Park.
GFS laat hem meer richting land trekken inderdaad.quote:Op vrijdag 27 januari 2012 14:16 schreef Frutsel het volgende:
'Iggy' lijkt ietwat meer langs de kust te trekken dan gisteren of vergis ik mij?
quote:IGGY leaves 16 dead in Indonesia
At least 16 people were confirmed killed and more than 2,300 houses damaged in torrential rains and strong winds that lashed much of Indonesia over the past few days.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said on Sunday that most of those killed were struck by trees felled by severe winds.
“Fourteen people were crushed by falling trees,” the spokesman said. “In total, 60 people were injured.”
He added that more than 2,300 houses in 35 districts and cities across Java and Bali had been damaged in the last four days due to heavy winds and rain whipped up by Tropical Cyclone Iggy, churning just south of Bali and the Nusa Tenggara island chain.
“But now Tropical Cyclone Iggy has weakened and is moving away from Indonesia,” he said.
Elsewhere in the country, at least two other people were confirmed killed as a result of the foul weather.
In Bali, the heavy rains caused a massive landslide on Saturday in the Taman Ayun Temple area, a popular tourist spot, killing an 18-month-old baby.
Ketut Parwa, the head of the Bali Search and Rescue Agency, said the child had been asleep with her mother at a food stall in the temple’s parking lot when the disaster struck at 11 p.m. They had gone to the food stall to take shelter from the rain.
Parwa said the 12-meter-high precipice on which the food stall was located suddenly gave way, burying the child in tons of mud. The mother managed to escape. Rescuers recovered the child’s body on Sunday evening.
In Lebak district, Banten, authorities recovered the body of a boy who had been swept away and drowned in a river. They are continuing their search for a friend who was with him.
Irna, an official with the local search team, said the victims, both 14-year-old students at an Islamic boarding school, went missing on Friday while swimming in the rain-swollen Ciberang River. One of the bodies was recovered later that day and given to the family for burial.
“We’ve combed a four-kilometer stretch of the river over the past two days, but we still haven’t been able to find the second boy,” Irna said.
“We’re having great difficulty in our search because of the strong current in the river.”
Nasa's hurricane pagequote:SO INDIAN OCEAN - We're watching another low near Madagascar, now that Funso fizzled. This low is near 16.8S 44.2E, 210 nm northwest of ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR. The low-level center is partially exposed, and its grazing the coast of Cape Saint Andre Region and is moving back into the warm Mozambique Channel. It has a medium chance for becoming a tropical depression.
Dat zou wat zijn zeg... subtropische storm in februari daarroquote:Tropics Trying to Come Alive in the Gulf of Mexico
The calendar says it's early February, but that is not stopping the tropics from trying to come alive in the south-central Gulf of Mexico.
The area of concern is a cluster of showers and thunderstorms spinning in the southern Gulf of Mexico, near the Yucatan Peninsula.
This broad area of low pressure has not only put the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center on alert, but prompted the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., to state, "this area is being closely monitored for possible further development."
Tropical season in the Atlantic Basin is not confined to the months spanning June to November, but rather when the conditions are conducive.
Some of those key ingredients needed for the development of at least a subtropical depression (a system with partial tropical characteristics) are currently trying to come together in the south-central Gulf of Mexico.
Water temperatures in the south-central Gulf of Mexico are near 80 degrees, the threshold for tropical development.
While not absent, the wind shear (disruptive winds high in the atmosphere) present is not strong enough to totally inhibit development.
If a subtropical depression or storm were to take shape (acquiring the name "Alberto" from the 2012 list), the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center feels it would track into South Florida later Monday into Monday night.
Torrential rain causing flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas would be the main concern, even if development fails to take place.
Evident by the radar from Key West, Fla., downpours will continue to get pushed into South Florida well ahead of the actual low's center.
The formation of a tropical storm in February is rare, but has occurred once before in history. The Groundhog Day Tropical Storm from 1952 developed in the northwestern Caribbean before tracking across South Florida.
Zal wel een puinhoop worden in Madagascar.quote:Op maandag 13 februari 2012 16:58 schreef Frutsel het volgende:
Aloa bedankt
Cat 4 orkaan nadert Madagascar
Ze kunnen het soms lang volhouden. Maar de meeste zakken dan weer richting het zuiden en verdwijnen.quote:Op dinsdag 14 februari 2012 12:04 schreef Frutsel het volgende:
Het zou trouwens zeer zeldzaam zijn als een orkaan vanaf de 90e breedtegraad helemaal weet te overleven tot aan Madagascar.
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