SYDNEY, March 20 (Reuters) - A ⁠severe tropical cyclone neared Australia's northeast coast on Friday ⁠as residents braced for destructive winds, heavy rain, flash ‌floods and power outages, while authorities urged them to take immediate shelter. The storm could unleash winds of up to 250 km per hour, strong enough to uproot trees ⁠and send debris airborne, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster ​Angus Hines told ‌ABC News. They are just so, so strong," Hines told ABC News. "Obviously that puts a lot of branches and debris ⁠into the air flying around that ​can become really dangerous." However, the warm waters in the Gulf of Carpentaria will help the storm to strengthen again into a severe tropical cyclone before ​impacting the Northern Territory on Saturday, Hines ⁠said.

Source: The Star March 20, 2026 00:54 UTC