Australia

2 powerful cyclones bear down on north Australian coast

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In a satellite image acquired from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Cyclone Trevor moves over the Northern Territory captured at 0810am AEDT, Tuesday, 19 March 2019. Australia is evacuating about 2,000 people from parts of northern Australia ahead of the cyclone with winds gusting up to 160 miles an hour (260 kph) expected to hit on Saturday. (Bureau of Meteorology/AAP Image via AP)

In this March 19, 2019, photo, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Katarina Carroll (left), Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (center) and Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Gee (right) are seen during a meeting of the Queensland Disaster Management Committee discussing the approaching cyclone at the Emergency Services Complex in Brisbane. Australia is evacuating about 2,000 people from part of northern Australia ahead of powerful Cyclone Trevor expected to hit on Saturday. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

Two powerful cyclones are bearing down on Australia's sparsely populated north where around 2,000 people have been evacuated from the east coast of the Northern Territory ahead of strong winds, mountainous waves and flooding rain that are forecast.

Cyclones are frequent in Australia's tropical north and rarely claim lives. But two such large storms as Cyclones Trevor and Veronica crossing land on the same weekend is rare.

Bureau of Meteorology manager Todd Smith said on Friday that Trevor is expected to cross the east shore of the Northern Territory on Saturday morning as a Category 4 storm. It currently has sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph).

Veronica is also expected to be a Category 4 when it crosses the coast of Western Australia state over Sunday night.