Category 2 Hurricane Churns Near Australia

Tropical Cyclone Pancho had been forecast to reach only Category 1 strength, and only briefly. It is a Category 2 storm and is expected to retain its strength for more than a day.

Photo: Joint Typhoon Warning Center

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A tropical cyclone that forecasters expected to briefly flare to hurricane strength, then diminish has instead steadily gained strength and is expected to retain Category 2 hurricane strength for the next day or so.

Still, Tropical Cyclone Pancho is not expected to menace the West coast of Australia. It is expected to come no closer than about 250 miles to Carnarvon.

Currently packing winds of 97 mph, it is expected to gain strength to about 103 mph and hold that intensity for more than a day before diminishing slightly, according to the latest forecast from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Recent forecasts predicted that it would only reach Category 1 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and only briefly.

The Southern Hemisphere summer, and its hurricane season, is coming to an end. Hurricanes are called tropical cyclones in this part of the world, and typhoons in other parts. Australia also uses a different numbered scale to measure hurricane strength.

Tropical Cyclone Pancho Track
Australian Bureau of Meteorology

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