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WASHINGTON D.C. — Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are predicting that a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely for 2009. The NOAA’s initial outlook for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season calls for a 50 percent probability of a near-normal season, a 25 percent probability of an above-normal season and a 25 percent probability of a below-normal season.

Global weather patterns are imposing a greater uncertainty in the 2009 hurricane season outlook than in recent years. Forecasters say there is a 70 percent chance of having nine to 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes, including one to three major hurricanes of Category 3, 4 or 5. The first storm of 2009 will be named Ana. Read the rest of this entry »

Tropical cyclone Izilda struck Madagascar at about 06:00 GMT on 26 March. Data supplied by the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggest that the point of landfall was near 23.7 S, 43.3 E. Izilda brought 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 120 km/h (74 mph). Wind gusts in the area may have been considerably higher. Read the rest of this entry »

North Queensland is almost certain to be back on cyclone alert this weekend as a tropical low about 700km north-east of Mackay deepens.

The low is developing very slowly and barely moving. Read the rest of this entry »

Ex-tropical cyclone Hamish remains off the central Queensland coast after a week of lashing the seaboard.

Its effects have been devastating leading to a massive oil spill, which Premier Anna Bligh describes as possibly the worst environmental disaster the state has witnessed, plus the disappearance of two fishermen lost at sea. Read the rest of this entry »

Tropical Cyclone Hamish is continuing to generate powerful ocean swells and fierce winds along the southern Queensland coast.

The category 3 storm is about 275 kilometres east of Sandy Cape, near Hervey Bay.

It maintained its intensity overnight but is expected to weaken and move away from the coast today. Read the rest of this entry »

BRISBANE — Tropical cyclone Hamish is continuing to weaken off the central Queensland coast, but damaging winds associated with the storm cell have hampered the rescue effort for three trawlermen missing in waters off Rockhampton.

Bureau of Meteorology Cyclone Warning Centre forecaster Andrea Peace said Hamish could be downgraded from a category four cyclone to a category three this morning, as fierce winds continue to tear apart the super cell. Read the rest of this entry »

QUEENSLAND — While it is still far too early to become complacent, Queenslanders are breathing a sigh of relief this morning as Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish now looks like remaining offshore for now, according to weatherzone.com.au. 

At 7am EST, Hamish was situated approximately 215 kilometres northeast of Yeppoon and was moving southeast at 12 kilometres per hour. It is now expected to maintain this southeast track over the next couple of days. 

The storm is still a very dangerous Category 4 cyclone, meaning that wind gusts near its centre are as high as 250 kilometres per hour. However, it is likely to gradually weaken over the next couple of days as it tracks parallel to the coast. Read the rest of this entry »

Evacuations continued Sunday along Australia’s Queensland coast as a Category 5 cyclone moved closer to the mainland.

Residents were preparing for Cyclone Hamish, possibly the worst storm in almost 30 years, to make landfall Tuesday between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

Winds of up to 280 km/h were recorded as the cyclone approached islands in north Queensland on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

SYDNEY — Apache Energy Corp. Friday said that it has ceased production at its Stag and Legendre oil and condensate operations in offshore Western Australia because of bad weather conditions.

All non-essential staff are being evacuated from the Varanus Island gas processing plant, but production is continuing as normal, Apache said.

Staff are in the process of being evacuated from Stag and Legendre.

“A cyclone hasn’t been called, it’s a tropical low, but it’s a matter of standard operating procedure,” a spokesman for Apache said.

Spokesmen for BHP Billiton Ltd. and Woodside Petroleum Ltd. both said the companies hadn’t evacuated any staff but were monitoring the situation.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the low pressure system may develop into a tropical cyclone Saturday as it moves to the southwest towards the Pilbara coast.  

www.rigzone.com

AUSTRALIA — A tropical low has formed off the remote west Australian coast and may develop into a cyclone this weekend, the country’s weather bureau said on Thursday, threatening iron ore mines and offshore oil and gas production.

The tropical low formed about 210 km northwest of Kalumburu, in the northwest of the Western Australia state, and may develop into a cyclone by Saturday as it moves towards the Pilbara coast, the bureau said. 

“Widespread heavy rain is likely in the Pilbara from Saturday evening as the system approaches the Pilbara coast, and significant flooding may result,” the bureau said. 

The Pilbara region is home to key iron ore mines owned by BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd, while the nearby town of Karratha is home to some of Australia’s largest oil and gas projects, including the onshore North West Shelf liquefied natural gas processing plant.

A cyclone would be the season’s fourth, following tropical cyclones Dominic, Billy and Anika. Dominic, the third cyclone of the season, forced the shut-in of several oil and gas operations for nearly a week.