First cyclone of 2014 looms on the horizon
- From: NT News
- January 05, 2014
CYCLONE watchers predict the first cyclone in the Coral Sea this season may form off the Queensland coast in the next 10 days.
Forecasters expect up to four cyclones in the Coral Sea - one likely to be severe with very destructive winds above 165km/h with another predicted to cross the Queensland coast - before the end of March.
Long-range modelling shows the possibility of the first tropical low forming in the northern Coral Sea by mid-January.
"Certainly a cyclone in January is not out of the question," Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Lauren Murphy said.
"There is such great uncertainty with cyclones in the short term. There are no lows and no signs of a cyclone forming yet.
"The monsoon trough is well north of Australia but when it moves south that is when we will see a focal point when a tropical low can develop into a cyclone."
As Australia endured its hottest year on record in 2013, sea surfaces temperatures around the nation's coastline were also "unusually warm throughout the year", said the latest BoM Annual Climate Statement.
As of the end of November, global sea temperatures were 0.49C above average.