Severe weather for large portions of Australia 15th March 2012

[JennyLeez]

Storms are continuing to hit Australia with a current tropical cyclone, a new tropical depression and next week a Tasman or Coral sea low which could drive in storm conditions to Queensland and New South Wales.

WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasters say the cyclone will affect western Australia and is likely to become a major cyclone in the next 48 hours.  The storm is currently a category 2 cyclone and Australia's Bureau of Meteorology predicts it will be a major category 4 cyclone when it slams into the west at some stage this weekend.

Thankfully the west coast of Australia isn't hugely populated and will likely affect a few small mining towns with populations less than 10,000 people.

To the north and near Darwin a tropical depression has formed and is today bringing damaging wind gusts and flooding rains to the region.

And to the north west of New Zealand, over the Coral Sea, at least two lows are expected to form in the area this weekend - one may become severe enough to cause dangerous seas, damaging gales and flooding rains for coastal parts of Queensland and possibly New South Wales sometime next week.

- WeatherWatch.co.nz

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