Cyclone watch for Queensland cancelled as TC Oma weakens

Author : Sam Published: February 21, 2019

Updated

February 22, 2019 10:46:44

Photo:
Huge swells are pummelling south-east Queensland beaches. (AAP: Dave Hunt)

A cyclone watch for the southern Queensland and northern New South Wales coast has been cancelled as Tropical Cyclone Oma weakens to a category one system.

The slow-moving system is in the Coral Sea about 700 kilometres north-east of Brisbane.

While the cyclone was not expected to hit the coast, severe weather and hazardous conditions are still forecast along the coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned there would be abnormally high tides and dangerous surf into early next week.

Photo:
Wind whips up sand at the Spit on the Gold Coast. (ABC News: Damien Larkins)

The Volunteer Marine Rescue at Point Danger, on the Queensland-New South Wales border, recorded waves of 10.5 metres early this morning.

BOM senior forecaster Jonty Hall said the system was still moving south, but was expected to turn north-west over the weekend.

“The bottom line is that it’s now a lot more certain the centre of Oma is going to stay quite a long way off the southern coast of Queensland,” he said.

Photo:
People ignore warning signs to check out big waves at the Southport Spit. (ABC News: Damien Larkins)

“Two and a half, three days ago a lot of our computer models were suggesting that it was going to get quite close to the coast or even cross the coast, which would have been a pretty bad scenario for us in southern Queensland, but we have steadily moved away from that.”

Mr Hall said there would still be impacts to the Queensland coast.

“Although the centre of Oma is going to stay a fair way off the coast, it is still going to be quite windy and has been quite windy through the night,” he said.

Photo:
BOM’s tracking map shows Oma could intensify. (Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)

“The winds will tend to increase a little bit and hence there is the potential for some damaging wind gusts in the order of 90-100 kilometres per hour.”

A number of beaches remain closed and boaties have been advised not to go out in open water as crews won’t be able to rescue them if conditions worsen.

Wide Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue’s Bill Ker said conditions are likely to be particularly dangerous for small and recreational watercraft.

Photo:
The system is still expected to cause dangerous surf conditions. (AAP: Dave Hunt)

“Our rescue boat won’t be going out in the strong wind warning. Don’t go out it’s too dangerous and you’ll have nobody to rescue you,” he said.

“You might be rescued by helicopter and your boat would be had it.”

The ferry to Stradbroke Island has been suspended for Friday.

Holidaymakers at eight Sunshine Coast holiday park sites have been moved away from the seafront due to expected large swells and tides.

The environment department said it had no plans to close the Great Sandy National Park, the Cooloola Recreation Area or the Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area.

But it warned that some campsites at risk of being impacted by storm surges may be restricted.

Photo:
Big swells have washed Rainbow Beach sands into the ocean. (Supplied: Rainbow Beach Helicopters)