Tropical Cyclone Watch Issued for Far North Queensland: Lockhart River to Port Douglas
This alert is no longer in effect.
BOM issued it on April 2, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this BoM weather warning directly from BOM's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A tropical cyclone watch is in effect for Far North Queensland as Tropical Low 34U intensifies, bringing threats of destructive winds and flash flooding starting Thursday.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Tropical Cyclone
- Affected area
- Far North Queensland
- Issued
- April 2, 2026
- Issuing authority
- BOM
The warning type, named area, and issue time define this record. Confirm all three against the original agency notice before treating it as current.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Far North Queensland.
Alert Details
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a tropical cyclone watch for Far North Queensland. The alert, identified as IDQ65002, concerns Tropical Low 34U, which is currently developing in the northern Coral Sea and is forecast to reach tropical cyclone intensity tonight.
Affected Areas
The current watch zone extends from Lockhart River to Port Douglas. Specific regions mentioned in the alert include Coen, Cooktown, Cape Melville, and the Peninsula.
What You Should Do
Residents in the watch zone are advised to take the following actions:
- Stay informed by checking local government Disaster Dashboards for the latest updates.
- Review cyclone preparedness and safety plans immediately.
- Monitor future updates as the system approaches the coast.
Expected Conditions
Tropical Low 34U currently has sustained winds near the center of 75 km/h with gusts up to 100 km/h. As it intensifies and moves west, the following hazards are expected:
- Destructive Wind Gusts: Up to 155 km/h possible between Coen and Cooktown.
- Damaging Wind Gusts: Up to 120 km/h possible between Cape Melville and Port Douglas, and between Lockhart River and Cape Melville.
- Heavy Rainfall: Potential for flash flooding between Cape Melville and Port Douglas, and heavy rain likely between Lockhart River and Cape Melville.
- Coastal Hazards: Tides are expected to be higher than normal between Coen and Port Douglas. Large waves may produce minor flooding of low-lying coastal areas.
Timeline
- Tuesday, March 17: Tropical Low 34U is forecast to become a tropical cyclone tonight.
- Thursday Morning: Damaging winds possible between Cape Melville and Port Douglas.
- Thursday Afternoon/Night: Winds intensify; destructive gusts possible between Coen and Cooktown.
- Thursday Evening: Heavy rainfall and flash flooding risk begins.
- Friday: Heavy rainfall likely between Lockhart River and Cape Melville.
- Late Week: Severe impacts are likely as the system approaches the far northeast Queensland coast.
Original source: BOM Official Notice ↗
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