Tropical Cyclone Pancho forms off Australia
Tropical Cyclone Pancho has developed off the northwest coast of Australia. This morning the cyclone was upgraded to a strong category 4 with winds of up to 140mph (225 km/h).
The storm is about 510 miles (820 km) away from the coastline and is forecast to drift in a south-southeast direction, threatening operations in offshore oil fields over the coming days.
The northwest coast of Australia is the nation’s most cyclone-prone region with an average of five storms striking between the months of November and April each year. Earlier this month, Tropical Cyclone Ophelia skirted past the northwest coastline, forcing the closure of some offshore oilfields.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Cyclone Pancho is not expected to make direct landfall. However, outer rainbands of the cyclone may give rise to some outbreaks of heavy rain from the northwest Cape down to Perth through this coming weekend.
