Ex-Cyclone Koji Lands in Queensland, Sparks Floods

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji made landfall near the Queensland coast between Ayr and Bowen on Sunday morning, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and widespread flooding to northern and central parts of the state, leaving thousands without power and prompting major flood warnings.

The system, which formed as a tropical cyclone on Saturday evening and was initially forecast as a category 2 storm, weakened to category 1 before crossing the coast around 10 a.m. It then degraded into a tropical low, with wind gusts reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour over the Whitsunday Islands. The Bureau of Meteorology reported intense rainfall across the affected regions, with some areas between Bowen and Mackay recording 250 to 350 millimeters since Saturday morning. Inland of Rockhampton, the town of Clermont shattered its 110-year rainfall record, receiving more than 200 millimeters in 24 hours, equivalent to about 25 percent of its average annual total.

Flooding emerged as the primary threat, with major warnings issued for the Connors, Isaac, Mackenzie and Georgina rivers, where levels were expected to surpass those from the 2013 ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. The Fitzroy River reached 13.28...