Cyclone Owen off Australian coast no threat yet, but 'one to watch'

  • 03/12/2018
Cyclone Owen.
Cyclone Owen. Photo credit: Windy.com

A cyclone off the northeast coast of Australia poses no threat to New Zealand at this stage, but forecasters say it's one to keep an eye on.

Cyclone Owen formed in the Coral Sea, and is expected to hang there for several days as a lower-end tropical cyclone or tropical depression. 

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology says it's unlikely to grow stronger than category 2.  

Sea temperatures at present are ideal for cyclones, but nearby high pressure "should limit how deep the low becomes" and how intense it'll be.

Cyclone Owen will likely weaken and fall apart this week, WeatherWatch says.

But the bad weather isn't over yet, it could reform into a storm in a week's time, remaining east of Cairns out over the Coral Sea. 

WeatherWatch says the storm remains "one to watch" because the Coral Sea is a breeding ground for tropical cyclones.

Storms that form there have a tendency to move towards Queensland or New Zealand.

Newshub.