SYDNEY, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Thousands of people were left without power in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland as a tropical cyclone moved across the coast on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds.
Category 1 Cyclone Kogi made landfall between the towns of Ayre and Bowen, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the state capital Brisbane, before weakening into a tropical depression, the country’s weather forecasters said.
The storm was said to bring wind gusts of up to 95 km/h (59 mph) and heavy rain, battering coastal towns including Mackay, a tourist hub and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said about 15,000 properties were without power as a result of the Koji incident, which also damaged homes and boats and closed roads.
Crisafulli said Koji brought up to 200 millimeters (7.8 inches) of rain to some areas overnight, with heavy downpours expected over the next 24 to 48 hours.
“Flooding is possible and Queenslanders will deal with it,” he said in a televised address in Brisbane.
Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described flash flooding as a “significant risk” to large swathes of Queensland’s coast.
Forecasters said the severe weather is likely to continue into Sunday, before easing on Monday.
Kogi was issued after being hit by downgraded Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March, which brought damaging winds and heavy rains that left hundreds of thousands without power.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Rod Nickel and Michael Perry)
