Cyclone Penny crosses Queensland's Cape York Peninsula coast near Weipa

01/01/2019

Tropical Cyclone Penny formed earlier this morning over the warm tropical waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria as a Category 1 strength system.

Bureau of Meteorology Weather Services Manager, Dr Richard Wardle, said Cyclone Penny's life will be relatively short-lived: it developed around 8am this morning and is expected to weaken to a low again as it passes over land this evening.

"Tropical Cyclone Penny made landfall just south of Weipa around 4pm this afternoon, where it will again weaken to a low as it moves over the Peninsula and re-enters the Coral Sea tomorrow morning," he said.

"In the longer term, ex-tropical Cyclone Penny is forecast to move further out into the Coral Sea, where it may redevelop into a category 1 or 2 system later this week.

"It's too early to determine the cyclone's possible movement beyond this point, but some models indicate it could curve back towards the Queensland coast as a low."

A Flood Watch is in place for catchments in Cape York Peninsula north of the Daintree and Mossman Rivers. Catchments between Cardwell and Cairns have been removed from the Flood Watch area, now that heavy rainfall is no longer expected.

A minor flood warning remains in place for the Daintree River and Mossman Rivers as a result of recent rainfall, and these rivers are expected to continue to fall today.

Flood Warnings for the Tully, Murray and upper Herbert catchments were finalised earlier this morning, when river levels eased below the minor flooding level.

For the latest information see Warnings and www.bom.gov.au/cyclone.