Residents urged to prepare for king tides

Residents are advised that king tides will be experienced in Cairns from next Tuesday 12 December through to Sunday 17 December, and peaking on Thursday 14 December.

Cairns Mayor said that the impact of these king tides on low lying areas could be exacerbated by Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

“As always, motorists should drive carefully and slowly, not only for the safety of road users and pedestrians, but to lessen the impact of bow waves, which can push water into nearby properties,” Cr James said.

“Council may also close roads which are inundated by tidal flooding to prevent damage to private property.”

(King tide dates, times and levels below.)

This morning, the Cairns Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) moved to “lean forward” status and is continuing to monitor Cyclone Jasper, which at 4am this morning was about 1,250km east northeast of Cairns.

Cyclone Jasper intensified to a category 4 system overnight and is moving to the south through the northeast of the Coral Sea.

Cr James said that residents needed to be aware of the potential dangers associated with storm surge, a significant rise in the ocean level that can be caused by an approaching cyclone.

“Not all cyclones will generate a storm surge,” Cr James said.

“However, if storm surge is predicted, people in storm surge areas may be advised to evacuate.”

Storm surge evacuation is advised on the predicted height of the storm surge, known as zones, not by street or suburb.

“It is critical that residents are aware which coloured zone they live in and the zone of the house they plan to self-evacuate to,” Cr James said.

“The easiest way residents can find their zone is to enter their address in the ‘Storm Surge Search’ feature of Council’s website, or viewing the storm surge maps on the Cairns Disaster Dashboard (www.disaster.cairns.qld.gov.au).

King tide levels for Cairns are expected at the following times (other areas may vary): Tuesday 12 December: 2.90m at 8.47amWednesday 13 December: 2.98m at 9.27amThursday 14 December: 2.99m at 10.10amFriday 15 December: 2.96m at 11.00amSaturday 16 December: 2.89m at 11.55amSunday 17 December: 2.81m at 1pm

Streets that are most likely to be impacted by king tides include:

Redden St, PortsmithTingira St, PortsmithLiberty St, PortsmithWalters St, PortsmithTrawler Base Rd, PortsmithBramp Cl, PortsmithCook St, PortsmithFearnley St, PortsmithParts of Aumuller St (near Comport St), PortsmithSpence St and the Esplanade intersection, Cairns CityParts of Draper St (Hartley St to Kenny Street), PortsmithCorner of Lily St and the Esplanade, Cairns North

Residents should also monitor the Bureau of Meteorology website for general information related to tide heights.