The ITA, category 5 cyclone

It is expected that the tropical cyclone ITA will severely impact the north-eastern coast of Australia by Friday. The ports of Cape Flattery and Cooktown (north Queensland) will be affected the most by the destructive winds and floods generated by ITA.

Even though, Fedor is 2000 nautical miles away from the cyclone, it is important to monitor the movement of ITA and its intensity levels. The weather forecast shows that after running into the coast, ITA will continue to move south. The aftermath of ITA will be felt as far south as Brisbane. After the encounter with the land, ITA will eventually turn either south-east towards New Zealand, or will move in the direction of the east, which could be worrisome for Fedor. We hope that ITA will be the final cyclone of the season. So far, it has been the most destructive in the area since 2011 (category 5 cyclone Yasi). The cyclone ITA has been compared to the Typhoon Haiyan which devastated parts of South East Asia in 2013.

For an ocean rower it is important to calculate the arrival time and the port of arrival to avoid any encounter with a tropical cyclone. April is typically the last month for tropical storms and cyclones. Our hope is that by the time Fedor and Tourgoyak enter the Coral Sea, the season will indeed be long over.

To learn more about cyclones, click here.

The map of the Tourgoyak’s course: http://yb.tl/konyukhov2

The detailed map of the course: www.oceanrowing.com/Konyukhov/Pacific2013/dist_map.htm

Translated by Tatiana Koreski