Port Douglas Daintree dodges Cyclone Kimi bullet

CYCLONE

Karlie Brady

Journalist

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Last updated:
Four Mile Beach Port Douglas, taken from the Port Douglas Beachcam at 12:46pm today.

UPDATE:

Port Douglas is now completely out of the Cyclone warning zone as the Bureau of Meteorology shifts the warning area again south to areas between Innisfail and Ayr, including Lucinda, Palm Island and Townsville.


"Tropical cyclone Kimi has intensified to a category 2 cyclone. It is currently moving south-southeast and is likely to continue this movement through tonight, but is now expected to slow and stall off the coast between Hinchinbook Island and Townsville on Tuesday while beginning to weaken," the Bureau said.

"However, considerable uncertainty remains with the future movement of the system, and a category 2 coastal crossing between Hinchinbrook Island and Townsville tonight or on Tuesday remains possible."

The track map currently shows TC Kimi is, at this stage, expected to do a full u-turn near Palm Island before heading back north, however, is expected to weaken to a low pressure system when it passes Cairns again on January 21.

However this system is very unpredictable and is the track is likely to change again.


EARLIER:


The Port Douglas and Daintree area has dodged a bullet, being spared from a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Kimi as the system continues to track south of the region.


Check out how the local weather is looking from the Port Douglas Beachcam.


While the Bureau of Meteorology maintains there is still some uncertainty surrounding the system, the latest tracking map at 11:00am shows the cyclone has passed the Port Douglas and Daintree area with the majority of the Shire expected to be spared of any significant weather associated with TC Kimi.

The latest tracking map shows the TC Kimi is forecast to cross the coast well south of the Douglas Shire near Cardwell.

As at 10:00am the Bureau said Cyclone Kimi was located 90 kilometres east of Cairns and 250 kilometres north of Townsville moving south at 12 kilometres per hour.

“Tropical cyclone Kimi continues to move slowly southwards and is likely to get closer to the coast later today. The system may intensify a little further to a category 2 system,” the Bureau said.

“Based on the current forecast track, the cyclone may cross the coast overnight or Tuesday between about Innisfail and Lucinda, however, there remains considerable uncertainty with the crossing time and location.”

Communities between Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas have been removed from the warning zone with the current warning area now from Port Douglas south to Ayr.

A Flood Watch for the Douglas Shire has also been dropped with the current Flood Watch now shifting south to encompasses coastal catchments between Cairns and Ayr.

Catchments currently associated with the warning include Mulgrave and Russell Rivers, Johnstone River, Tully River, Murray River, Herbert River, Black River, Ross and Bohle Rivers, and Haughton River.

“Flooding is no longer expected in the following catchments: Jeannie, Endeavour, Daintree, Mossman and Barron Rivers,” the Bureau said.

“Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical cyclone Kimi is expected across the Flood Watch area from Monday. The location of the heaviest rainfall is dependent on the movement of the tropical cyclone.”

The region feels very lucky to have missed the gale force winds with many local businesses turning to social media to tell their followers the region has not been affected. 

The Douglas Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) has praised the Douglas Shire for its swift preparation in response to the initial forecast of TC Kimi.

Douglas LDMG Chairman and Douglas Shire Mayor, Michael Kerr, said uncertainty around the cyclone was an important reminder for everyone.

“It was great to see so many people in our community take swift action by filling up their sandbags, preparing their businesses and following the advice put out by authorities.”

“The LDMG and Council’s Incident Management Team were also well prepared, and TC Kimi gave us another opportunity to test the processes we have in place.”

The Mossman Gorge Centre and Daintree Ferry are operating back to normal.

The below roads remain closed:

Bloomfield Track (Cape Tribulation-Bloomfield Rd)
Shannonvale Causeway
CREB Track

Maintenance work is underway on the flood camera at Barratt’s Creek, south of Daintree Village, which is currently out of service.

Everyone is encouraged to stay connected via the Douglas Dashboard and up to date via Newsport. You can also check out the weather conditions on the Port Douglas Beachcam.



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