Tropical cyclone Jasper may bring life-threatening floods to Australia

Canberra : The north tropical coast of Australia's Queensland could be hit with life-threatening flash flooding and destructive wind gusts as category 2 tropical cyclone Jasper was expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the country's Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday.

Tropical Cyclone Jasper with category 2 strength was expected to impact the Far North Queensland coast on Wednesday morning, Xinhua news agency quoted the Bureau as saying.

"Locally intensive rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is likely about the coast and ranges between Cape Flattery and Port Douglas as well as areas near the center of tropical cyclone Jasper.

"Destructive wind gusts of up to 140 km/h may develop between Wujal Wujal and Innisfail, including Cairns from early Wednesday morning," it added.

Tropical cyclone Jasper, currently a category 2 system, may intensify slightly more as it moves towards the coast. 

It was forecast to cross the coast as a category 2 system on Wednesday and would weaken as it moves inland on Thursday towards the Gulf of Carpentaria.