Storm: Tropical Storm “Jasper” reaches Australia’s east coast

A tropical cyclone hit the northeast coast on Wednesday Australia Heavy rains and floods occurred. Cyclone Jasper made landfall in a sparsely populated area near Cairns, Queensland, as a category two out of five storm, but weakened to a category one later in the evening, the Bureau of Meteorology on X (formerly Twitter) said. ) There were no reports of injuries or specific damages initially.

The affected coastal area in north-east Queensland has a subtropical climate. It is now the summer monsoon season in these areas south of the equator. The storm made landfall near the town of Wujal, north of Cairns.

According to Sky News, wind speeds reached up to 113 kilometers per hour in some places. About 150,000 people were called to seek safety in the most fortified rooms in their homes. Life-threatening floods continue to threaten many rivers. The weather service also warned of dangerous winds and heavy rain.

The first photos showed strong waves and uprooted trees on the beach. More than 36,000 homes were without power after trees fell on power lines, the Guardian Australia portal reported in the evening. Accordingly, the weakened storm moved inland from the coast.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles called on residents to seek safety this morning. “Now is no time to be outside,” he said.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:231213-99-280041/6