ABC Gold Coast: Emily Dobson
This week, the eastern coastline of Queensland is anticipated to experience sporadic rainfall.
A marine wind advisory is currently active from Cooktown down to the New South Wales border.
Weather experts are closely monitoring Tropical Cyclone Maila to assess its potential effects on Queensland later this week.
South-easterly winds are expected to bring intermittent showers to much of Queensland’s eastern region, while areas inland will remain dry.
Additionally, meteorologists are observing a tropical cyclone in the Solomon Sea as it continues to gain strength.
According to Baden Gilbert, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, the light rain expected along coastal towns in the east will likely subside by midweek.
“Winds will remain brisk throughout the Easter period, with showers expected to clear by Tuesday,” he noted.
“In the short term, coastal conditions will be quite windy, and we have issued strong wind warnings from the Gold Coast extending northward to Cooktown, which should ease around Wednesday.”
Those on holiday or enjoying the school break can look forward to warmer temperatures, which are projected to be slightly above the average for April.
“Overall, it seems to be a mild weather pattern, particularly for southern Queensland,” Mr. Gilbert added.
Monitoring Tropical Cyclone Maila
In the northern regions, weather forecasters are tracking the trajectory of Tropical Cyclone Maila, which was identified outside of Australian waters over the weekend.
This development comes shortly after Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall on the Far North Queensland coast as a category four system, causing significant damage in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Tropical Cyclone Maila has now escalated to a category three system and is currently moving slowly between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Mr. Gilbert indicated that the cyclone’s path is still uncertain.
“We are several days away from any potential impacts should the system head toward Queensland; we are closely monitoring model developments,” he stated.
Although it is late in the season for cyclone formation, there remains a possibility of additional threats to Queensland.
“April is one of the months, alongside December, that typically sees cyclones in the Coral Sea, so it is not unusual,” Mr. Gilbert remarked.
“The last occurrence of a cyclone crossing the Queensland coast in April was Ita in 2014; while it doesn’t happen every season, it is within the realm of possibility.”
