While the dangerous fires in Australia continue to make national headlines this week, the opposite side of the country may be under a different weather threat."Meteorologists continue to monitor the Timor Sea for development through the weekend and into early this week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.In this zone, conditions are favorable for any tropical lows to flourish, increasing the chances of tropical development. Meanwhile, evacuation orders continue to pile up in Victoria, New South Wales and even Kangaroo Island through the weekend in response to the bushfires.
Whether it becomes a defined tropical system or not, the tropical low is likely to approach land by early this week, bringing with it waves of heavy, tropical rainfall.A general southwesterly track is expected for the tropical low, likely putting parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara coasts in its path, including coastal cities like Broome, Port Hedland and Karratha.In addition to on land, offshore boats and oil interests should also pay attention to this storm."It appears at this time that the system has two possible tracks: one where the center passes near the coast or even remains offshore, while the other where the system moves inland across Western Australia," said Douty.Both solutions will bring periods of heavy, flooding rainfall along the coast, while the second solution brings the rainfall farther inland.If the system is over water long enough to become a more organized tropical cyclone, damaging winds of 63 km/h (39 mph) or more will be a concern, particularly at the coast nearest to the center of the storm.It is not out of the question that more than a single tropical threat could emerge in the coming days.Another system may develop off Australia's Top End, most likely by the middle of this week.While impacts may change depending on the strength of the system, tropical rainfall and flooding at this time are the primary threats as the low slowly drifts southward toward the Northern Territory. The Darwin and Palmerston City areas could be affected.Check back with AccuWeather.com for more updates on the weather effecting Australia and the world.