Warning of potential rare winter cyclone this weekend
Updated . First published at
A tropical low near the Solomon Islands could develop into a rare winter cyclone this weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
The weather system “has a Low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone from late Friday to Monday”, the Bureau’s cyclone tracker said.
A tropical low near the Solomon Islands could develop into a rare winter cyclone. Weatherzone
The tracker currently rates the chances of a cyclone developing at 10 per cent from Saturday morning to Monday morning, after which it will lapse back to Very Low at less than 5 per cent.
“Regardless of tropical cyclone development, the low is likely to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to parts of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea during the remainder of the week,” the Bureau website said.
“The low is not expected to impact the Australian mainland.”
The cyclone season for the Australian region runs from November 1 to April 30, through the largely warmer, wetter tropical months.
“This is when the oceans are warmest and the atmosphere is most supportive of cyclone development in the Southern Hemisphere tropics,” Weatherzone said.
The Bureau’s cyclone database, which stretches back to 1970, records only four previous regional cyclones in July.
And two of those, including the most recent from 2022, were only identified retrospectively as having intensified beyond tropical low status.
Other out-of-season cyclones have been more common, including a number in May over the decades.
However, should this tropical system develop into a cyclone, it will be in rare historical company.
“If a tropical cyclone does develop or move into the Australian region near the Solomon Islands later this week, it would become only the second time a tropical cyclone has formed in the Eastern Region during July,” Weatherzone wrote.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
