Destructive winds and rain strikes in Australia – Red alert lifted

As Cyclone Veronica begins to make landfall in Australia’s Pilbara coast, a red alert has been issued along this area. Destructive winds and rain continues in the coastal regions of Australia by a second cyclone within 48 hours. Officials said that Cyclone Veronica lingered about 95km (60 miles) off the nation’s north-west coast on Monday.

The category two system is moving slowly and it is not expected to make landfall. The system has prompted warnings for locals to remain indoors. On Saturday, a category four cyclone named Trevor had hit the Northern Territory. Western Australia is expecting a threat of widespread flooding, as heavy rain and large waves continues.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) spokesman Darragh Wills said the danger was not yet over. He said, “It is still a cyclone, and there is still the red alert in force”.

“It is forecast to track west, so the impact will move along the coast along with that, although it is moving very slowly. If it moved more quickly the rain would go along with it, but it’s in the one spot more or less and the rain just keeps falling, so you’ll get all that rain in a smaller area.”

Image courtesy: washingtonpost.com, perthnow.com / images are subject to copyright