North West residents urged to be "cyclone ready"
Last season was quiet in terms of the number of cyclones and the first cyclone, Severe Tropical Cyclone George, formed quite late in the season, but it had a devastating impact. "Last summer shows that there is never a season when you can let your guard down. A season with one tropical cyclone is a bad season if that cyclone devastates your community" cautioned Andrew Burton, Manager of the Severe Weather Section. "We expect more cyclones this season than last, we just hope we don't see another George" added Mr. Burton. While the Pacific Ocean is showing patterns typical of a La Niña, the waters to the north of Australia are yet to show the expected warming. Values of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) are much higher than last season, but not yet at values typical of La Niña. These mixed signals have heightened uncertainty in this year's seasonal outlook. Mr. Burton cautioned, "Some modeling suggests that these waters will rapidly warm over the coming months, and with La Niña conditions already developed in the Pacific, there is no justification for early season complacency." "At this early stage, it is impossible to predict the likely onset, path or intensity of any individual cyclone that might occur. So everyone in the North West needs to be prepared from the start of the season on 1 November", Mr. Burton said. Details of the 2007/2008 Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Outlook for North West Australia:
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