New cyclone warning issued for Australia

Canberra April 11 (IANS) A new cyclone warning was issued for Australia s Northern Territory on Tuesday as a slow-moving tropical storm is gathering strength the media reported.

It is likely to become a cyclone on Tuesday before possibly intensifying into a category two system the BBC quoted Australia s Bureau of Meteorology as saying.

Small island and coastal communities have been warned to prepare for heavy rain gale-force winds and storm tides.

The centre of the system is likely to cross the western Tiwi Islands sometime later on Tuesday a forecaster said.

If the weather system develops as predicted it will be named cyclone Frances the bureau said.

It comes after Cyclone Debbie made landfall as a category four system in Queensland two weeks ago causing massive floods that killed at least six people.

--IANS
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