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Severe thunderstorm has struck the north-west part of Queensland, generating winds of 105km per hour in the area. According to media reports, Cyclone Imogen kept shaking the houses in the locality, just like an earthquake. The tropical low intensified overnight and formed a category one tropical cyclone.
Though the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted that the cyclone would weaken and downgrade to a tropical low again during the later hours on Monday, serious warnings continue to stay in place.
How did it start?
Cyclone Imogen developed on Sunday at around 7 PM. It soon went on to span the Gulf of Carpentaria coast, situated north of Karumba which is around 530 kilometres west of Cairns.
As per the reports, the cyclone spawned prolonged winds blowing up to 100 km per hour, close to the centre of 75km per hour. In fact, a wind gust of 105km per hour was registered near Normanton on the southwestern side of the cyclone.
The region of Normanton received more than 260 millimetres of rain, while the Mornington Island Airport recorded around 200 millimetres of rain.
Houses left powerless
In Queensland, more than 1,400 houses were left powerless but there were no reports of injuries or fatalities. Also, the roads have been cut amid warnings of potentially deadly flash flooding in parts of far north Queensland as Imogen is bringing huge rainfalls post crossing the coast.
All roads to the Gulf are right now shut with people being asked to avoid rising flood waters.
Meanwhile, the NSW Bureau of Meteorology department has forecasted that regions like Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury might receive heavy rainfall because of the thunderstorm and that can also lead to flash flooding.
The State Emergency Service has asked people to take their vehicles away from under the trees and high voltage lines. Also, the department has advised people to remove loose items from their houses to save them from getting impacted.
