Twin tropical cyclones spinning near Australia; waterlogged New Zealand on alert
Severe flooding caused by storms swept a car toward the ocean in Stanwell Park, Australia, on Feb. 9. The car was later found on some rocks by the ocean and covered in debris.
The Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season is in full swing, with a trio of storms spinning in the Indian and South Pacific oceans, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
Tropical Rainstorm Gabrielle and Tropical Cyclone Freddy continue to spin on either side of Australia. While neither will bring direct impacts to the continent, flood-ravaged New Zealand is on alert for impacts from Gabrielle through early this week. Meanwhile, a third tropical system, Tropical Storm Dingani, was spinning well away from any landmasses in the central Indian Ocean.
This current flurry of activity on the half of the planet that is currently experiencing its summer season made for a spectacular satellite image and is a reminder of the fact that tropical cyclones can form at any time of the year.
A pair of tropical cyclones were spinning on either side of Australia, as seen in this AccuWeather RealVue™ Satellite image from late Friday, local time on Feb. 10. Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle was located to the east of Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea, while Tropical Cyclone Freddy was located to the northwest of Western Australia.
Tropical Rainstorm Gabrielle to impact New Zealand
As of Monday morning, local time, Tropical Rainstorm Gabrielle was located a couple hundred miles to the north of Great Barrier Island in the Coral Sea, a marginal sea of the South Pacific that is home to the famous Great Barrier Reef.
Gabrielle was the equivalent of a subtropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with maximum sustained winds around 60 mph (or around 100 km/h) and was moving to the southeast at roughly 12 mph (22 km/h) offshore of New Zealand's North Island, shifting south of the archipelago of New Caledonia. At least 40,000 Auckland residents were without power as of Monday night due to Gabrielle.
Flooding reported in New South Wales, Australia, from Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon was unrelated to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle is forecast to bring flooding rain and strong winds to northern parts of New Zealand through Tuesday, local time.
The new threat of heavy rain comes on the heels of record and deadly flooding in and around Auckland, the nation's largest city, that occurred less than two weeks ago. A private forecasting service in the nation, WeatherWatch Services Ltd., told Reuters that Gabrielle could be "the most serious storm to impact New Zealand this century."
A general view of a flooded Victoria Street on January 27, 2023, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Lynn Grieveson/Getty Images)
The country's meteorological agency, the MetService, told Reuters that roughly one tropical cyclone impacts New Zealand every year. The meteorological service also warned that while Gabrielle may lose enough wind intensity to be reclassified from a cyclone to an ex-tropical cyclone before impacting the country, that doesn't necessarily mean the system will be less of a threat.
AccuWeather is forecasting 4 to 8 inches (about 100 to 200 mm) of rain in Auckland into early next week, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 12 inches (about 300 mm). Meteorologists are also forecasting winds of 50 to 60 mph (about 80 to 95 km/hr), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 80 mph (about 128 km/hr) possible. This will almost certainly lead to renewed flooding because the city has already received over 400 percent of its average rainfall since Jan. 24.
Gabrielle was located within the South Pacific Ocean tropical basin, with the tropical season there running from Nov. 1 to April 30.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy and Tropical Storm Dingani to avoid land
A wider view of the tropical systems churning in the Indian and South Pacific oceans, as seen on AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite, as of late Friday, local time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Australia and in the Indian Ocean, a pair of much less concerning tropical systems were churning.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy remained about 250 miles southwest of The Cocos Islands and was moving west in the waters of the Indian Ocean, as of early Monday evening, local time. Freddy was the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane, but is not expected to intensify much moving forward. "It will remain no threat to any landmasses," said AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster and Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
Similar to Freddy, Tropical Storm Dingani, which formed well to the southwest of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on Thursday, will remain no threat to land as it churns to the west across the central Indian Ocean.
The Australian tropical cyclone season runs from Nov. 1 to April 30, while the southwestern Indian Ocean tropical season lasts from Nov. 15 to April. 30. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and continues through Nov. 30.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
