Penny to bring another round of flooding to Australia this week
Villagers in southern Thailand have begun to recover and rebuild what is left of their homes and livelihoods after Tropical Storm Pabuk swept through on Friday. FRANCE 24 went to meet those dealing with its aftermath. In the village of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Juritha, a grandmother and wife of a fisherman, was not so lucky. Her home was devastated. "The ceiling is destroyed, everything is damaged, she told FRANCE 24.
Tropical Rainstorm Penny will move onshore by Wednesday morning; however, downpours have already drenched parts of the Queensland coastline.
Locations from Rockhampton to Mackay recorded 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) from Monday night into Tuesday and additional downpours will dampen the region in the coming days.
High seas will be stirred across the central and southern Queensland coastline into Wednesday before subsiding later this week. Swimmers should remain vigilant of rough seas and a risk of rip currents. Never swim without a lifeguard present, and be sure to follow all advisories issued.
Despite weakening further after making landfall between Townsville and Mackay, Penny will continue to bring heavy rainfall to the region for several days.
In fact, the heaviest rainfall for the region is expected from Wednesday into Thursday as Penny moves inland.
Downpours will shift northward into Cairns by Thursday before expanding to the remainder of the Cape York Peninsula for Friday.
Many locations along the central and northern coast of Queensland could get 100 mm (4 inches) of rain through Friday. Hardest-hit locations could receive an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches).
Damaging winds are not expected from Penny; however, gusty winds will lash coastal locations from Mackay to Townsville into Wednesday before subsiding after Penny moves inland.
Penny formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria on December 31 before bringing heavy rainfall to the Cape York Peninsula on Jan. 1 before tracking into the Coral Sea.
Despite weakening from a Category 1 tropical cyclone to a tropical rainstorm as it crossed the Cape York Peninsula, Penny brought another round of heavy rainfall to the region following Tropical Cyclone Owen in mid-December.
Mining operations were halted, and flights to and from the area were canceled due to the storm.
Download the free AccuWeather app to remain aware of the latest track of Penny and any flooding concerns for your community.
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