Out-of-season Cyclone Ann strikes northern Australia
During a recent dust storm in Victoria, Australia, a town became completely dark on May 7.
Despite no longer being a tropical cyclone, Ann will bring rain and gusty winds to parts of Queensland through midweek.
Ann formed on Sunday, local time, across the Coral Sea tracked westward and brought impacts to northern Queensland around the middle of the week.
Australia's tropical cyclone season officially runs from Nov. 1 to April 30, so Ann developed outside of the season when tropical cyclones are most likely to develop around Australia.
Ann reached the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula, well to the north of Cairns, on Tuesday night, local time.
Satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Ann east of Queensland, Australia on Monday, May 13. (Image/Australia Bureau of Meteorology)
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls expects that "The weakening feature will produce rain, some heavy, across the Cape York Peninsula into Wednesday with the chance for local flash flooding."
A gusty wind can also blow along the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula, including in Cairns, though widespread wind damage is not expected.
Farther to the south along the coast in communities such as Townsville and Mackay, periods of rain will dampen daily routes into the middle of week; however, gusty winds are not expected.
While crossing the Cape York Peninsula, Ann will likely continue to be a weak tropical low, though Nicholls adds, "Lingering moisture from Ann can lead to rain and thunderstorms across the Top End of the Northern Territory from Thursday into Saturday with the risk of local flash flooding."
In the wake of Ann, there are no other threats for tropical development around Australia.
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