13 Apr 2000Rain, gales as low moves away from NSW
In
an extraordinary collapse, Tropical Cyclone Vaughan, off the north Queensland
coast, dropped from a category 3 cyclone to below cyclone status in
about 8 hours today while still over water. The animation (left)
shows 3-hourly water vapour images between 10pm Wednesday and 10pm tonight.
Areas of high moisture are shown as dark brown. The cyclone intensified
and was upgraded to category 3 at 8am, as its central estimated pressure
dropped to 970hPa while about 250km east of Cooktown and moving WSW.
With the cyclone's estimated time of crossing the coast possibly coinciding
with a high tide, grave fears were held that a storm surge of 2 metres or
more could have serious consequences on top of the expected 170km/h winds
and flood rains. Flights into Cairns airport were cancelled and schools
prepared to close. However, Vaughan weakened to 980hPa at 11am when 220km
E of Cooktown, slowed down and weakened further to 990hPa by 2pm, and had
become a tropical low of 994hPa by 4pm when 240km ENE of Cooktown. The cyclone's
fizzle caught some Cairns residents over-prepared. Residents of Machans
Beach, a Cairns suburb, had already booked generators and loud speakers
for a cyclone party, and were unable to cancel the booking due to unexpected
good weather.
The Low that has traversed southeastern states during the past 2 days moved away from the continent today, but not before giving early morning gales to the NSW Central Coast and some heavy rain to NE NSW and SE Qld. Norah Head, northeast of Gosford NSW, reported gale force winds up to 76km/h up to 6am, with a peak gust of 100km/h at 2.15am. Later in the afternoon, heavy showers swept onto the NSW north coast and the Queensland southeast coast in brisk southerly winds, with Coffs Harbour NSW recording 28mm in just one hour to 3.50pm. Lord Howe Island, 580km east of Port Macquarie, recorded 37mm between 3 and 9am as the trough from the low passed.