Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms

In the Southern Indian Ocean:

Tropical cyclone Ita is located approximately 146 nm north of Cairns, Australia.

Intense Category 4 Cyclone Ita bearing down on Australia. Expected to reach Category 5. With winds gusting up to 160-180 mph, Cyclone Ita is barreling toward the northern coast of Queensland, Australia.

It's violent winds, expected to reach 280km/h, put Ita in a worse category than Cyclone Larry, which hit north Queensland in March 2006, leaving a trail of destruction. More than 9000 people will be "directly impacted" by cyclone Ita when it crosses the north Queensland coast on Friday night. Evacuations have begun and Queensland's premier is returning from overseas as the strongest cyclone since Yasi in 2011 moves in on the state's far north. Tourists and coastal residents were evacuating parts of the Great Barrier Reef on Thursday