Source: Bureau of Meteorology
Issued at 10:43 am EST on Tuesday 17 March 2026
Headline:
A high chance of a tropical cyclone impacting Far North Queensland
from mid-week.
Areas Affected:
Warning Zone
None.
Watch Zone
Lockhart River to Port Douglas.
Cancelled Zone
None.
Details of Tropical Low 34U at 10:00 am AEST:
Intensity: Tropical Low, sustained winds near the centre of 75
kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 100 kilometres per
hour.
Location: within 55 kilometres of 12.3 degrees South 157.1 degrees
East, estimated to be 890 kilometres east northeast of Willis Is
and 1330 kilometres east northeast of Cooktown.
Movement: west at 7 kilometres per hour.
Tropical Low 34U is developing in the northern Coral Sea and is
forecast to become a tropical cyclone tonight. 34U is expected to
move steadily to the west and approach the far northeast Queensland
coast between Lockhart River and Port Douglas. A severe impact is
likely late in the week.
Hazards:
DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS to 155 km/hr are possible between Coen and
Cooktown from Thursday night.
Gales with DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 km/hr are possible between
Cape Melville and Port Douglas from Thursday morning.
Gales with DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 km/hr are also possible
between Lockhart River and Cape Melville from Thursday
afternoon.
HEAVY RAINFALL which may lead to FLASH FLOODING is possible
between Cape Melville and Port Douglas from Thursday evening. HEAVY
RAINFALL is likely between Lockhart River and Cape Melville from
Friday.
Tides will be higher than normal between Coen and Port Douglas.
LARGE WAVES may produce MINOR FLOODING of low-lying coastal
areas.
Recommended Action:
- Stay informed by checking your local government s Disaster
Dashboards for the latest updates.
- For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit the Get Ready
Queensland website www.getready.qld.gov.au
- For non-life threatening emergency assistance contact State
Emergency Services (SES) online via the SES Assistance QLD App,
Apple , Android, online 132500.qld.gov.au, or call 132 500 from
anywhere in Queensland.
Current
Tropical Cyclones
