SYDNEY (AP) – A cyclone weakened to a tropical low yesterday while bring heavy rain and winds to Australia’s Northern Territory.
The storm would continue to track west through inland parts of the Northern Territory over the coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Tropical Cyclone Megan lashed island communities for days before it made landfall late on Monday near the remote town of Borroloola on the southwestern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The bureau forecast wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour (kph) for the town and 24-hour rainfall exceeding 200 millimetres (mm). A planned evacuation of some 700 residents in Borroloola was cancelled as planes were unable to land.
Residents were instead told to shelter in buildings capable of withstanding the cyclone’s wind gusts. Australian Defence Force personnel remained on standby to assist with recovery since yesterday, Northern Territory Police have said.
