Tropical Storm named storm of the Australian area cyclone season 2023–2024, Jasper, made landfall in northeast Australia, bringing damaging gusts and the possibility of flash floods to northern Queensland. The third disturbance of the South Pacific cyclone season in 2023–2024 was this active tropical storm.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Jasper, the third disturbance of the 2023–24 South Pacific cyclone season and the first named storm and severe tropical cyclone of the 2023–24 Australian region cyclone season is currently affecting northern Queensland. Originating from low pressure in the South Pacific Ocean, Jasper initially developed slowly but began to consolidate. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology upgraded the system to a Category 1 tropical cyclone and assigned it the name Jasper. As it approached northern Queensland, Jasper entered an environment of increasing wind shear, weakening the system.
The Formation of Cyclones: Cyclones Jasper of Australia
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) began monitoring Tropical Disturbance 03F, re-designated as Tropical Low 02U, in the South Pacific Ocean. The system was in a favorable environment for further development with radial outflow, low vertical wind shear, and warm sea surface temperatures. On 4 December, the system crossed 160°E, exiting the South Pacific basin and entering the Australian region.
The Australian system, Jasper, was a Category 1 tropical cyclone that began to track southward under the influence of a near-equatorial ridge.
The United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) due to the favorable environment, deep convective banding, and low shear. The BoM upgraded the system to a Category 1 hurricane on the Australian scale, assigning it the name Jasper. Jasper rapidly intensified into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, fueled by warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear. T
he BoM reported that Jasper had peaked in intensity around 06:00 UTC as a high-end Category 4 severe tropical cyclone, with estimated maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) and a central barometric pressure of 938 hPa (27.70 inHg). The JTWC also stated that Jasper peaked with one-minute sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Category 2 Systum and Intensification; Cyclones Jasper
Tropical Storm In far north Queensland, Jasper gently touches down. The area has seen intense rain and wind, and Cyclone Jasper has strengthened, turning into a category 2 system 110 km off the coast of Cairns and 65 km southeast of Cooktown. The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Wednesday night that the cyclone is causing “damage to destructive wind gusts to the far north Queensland coast as it makes landfall in the vicinity of Wujal Wujal, just north of Cape Tribulation.”
It was advised for everyone living between Wujal Wujal and Innisfail, including Cairns, to stay indoors until the storm passed and wait for further instructions. As Jasper travels inland, it is anticipated to diminish overnight. Early on Wednesday, people started to leave their houses because strong winds had toppled trees in Port Douglas. Cyclone Jasper is causing flash flooding in the far north, with up to 300mm over six hours and 500mm in 24 hours. Over 17,000 homes and businesses were without power, and 100 people have contacted evacuation centers. The cyclone is expected to weaken overnight as it moves inland, producing wind gusts of up to 140km/h. People from Cape Flattery to Cairns are advised to take shelter.
Impact and Landfall of Cyclone Jasper
The Bureau of Meteorology said that the storm “slowly” made landfall close to Wujal, a community mostly inhabited by Aboriginal people, blowing up “destructive wind gusts”. The storm also threatened the popular tourist destinations of Port Douglas and Cairns, which serve as entry points to the Great Barrier Reef.
On Wednesday afternoon, around 15,000 homes in Queensland were left without electricity due to winds picked up by Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Utility companies and the Queensland state government warned of damage to fences, roofs, and property. Flood watches were in place for rivers across the region, and power was pre-emptively cut to areas where damage was expected. Four government weather forecasters had to be evacuated from Willis Island, where an Australian naval destroyer was dispatched. The forecasters were dropped off in Sydney by the HMAS Brisbane guided-missile destroyer.
