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Tropical Cyclone Zane heading to Cape York Peninsula

Rob Sharpe
Zane should be the first tropical cyclone in seven years to cross Queensland's Cape York Peninsula, likely reaching category three. Tropical Cyclone Zane formed off the Queensland coast on Tuesday morning as it quickly developed and sped westwards. The cyclone will move west-northwest and should cross the coast between Orford Ness and Lockhart River late on Wednesday as a category two or three cyclone. The last time a tropical cyclone crossed the Peninsula was in April 2006 when Severe Tropical Cyclone Monica crossed just south of Lockhart River as a category three system. The primary difference between Zane and Monica is that Zane is moving quicker and should bring less rainfall. Winds from Zane will be quite similar to Monica with a cyclone warning issued from Cape Grenville to Cape Tribulation. Tropical Cyclone Zane brings the risk of gusts to 150km/h from Gape Grenville to Cape Sidmouth. When Monica hit the coast it brought gusts to approximately 150km/h with Lockhart River recording a gust of 109km/h and gaining over 300mm in the period of a few days. Due to the fast moving nature of Zane this cyclone should bring less rainfall, but flash flooding is still a risk for parts of far northern Queensland. Zane will quickly dissipate on Thursday as the system crosses into the Gulf of Carpentaria. It will become a low rather than developing into a category five system like Monica did seven years prior. Wind and rain will ease, particularly for areas south of Cooktown. On Friday the tropics should only experience scattered showers and fresh southeasterly winds..
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