Posted by JAC on 3/6/2009, 3:06 pm, in reply to "Cyclone Hamish Forms off Northeast Australian Coast"

Tropical Cyclone Hamish has been building up steam, and crawling toward the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Watches and Warnings have already been posted in areas that are expecting strong wind gusts and heavy rains. On March 6 at 1500 Zulu Time (10 a.m. EST), Hamish's sustained winds had increased to near 80 knots (92 mph) with gusts to 100 knots (115 mph). It was located about 120 miles north-northeast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia, near 15.5 degrees south and 147.2 degrees east longitude. Hamish was moving along toward the south-southeast near 7 knots (8 mph). Satellite imagery indicates that the system has continued to consolidate and has recently developed an eye about 25 nautical miles across, indicating a strengthening storm. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that "Hamish has intensified rapidly over the past twelve hours, and will continue to strengthen as it slowly approaches the coast of Queensland. As atmospheric conditions worsen and the proximity of land becomes an issue, the system will start to weaken after Saturday, from its peak of 90 knots (103 mph)." A tropical cyclone warning has been posted from Cooktown to Bowen in Queensland. Meanwhile, a tropical cyclone watch is up from Bowen and Yeppoon. Residents between Cooktown and Townsville can expect flooding due to large waves and heavy rainfall. Higher than normal tide levels can be expected to the south of the cyclone. This satellite image was taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite, NOAA-17 on March 6 at 11:24 Zulu Time (6:24 a.m. EST) when the storm was nearing the Queensland coast. The cyclone formed over the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia's state of Queensland Thursday. The projected forecast path means a potential for landfall along the central Queensland coast by Sunday. Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center