On the other side of the world, atropical cyclonechurning through Australia has made landfall as a Category 4 storm and could make up to two more landfalls as the storm progresses through the weekend.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall the morning of March 20 as a Category 4 storm, moving over land in Far North Queensland in remote parts of Australia, according to the country's Bureau of Meteorology.
(To clarify, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same type of storm, known collectively as tropical cyclones. They have different names depending on what part of the world they form in.)
Since making landfall, the storm brought severe rainfall to the region as it tracked west, most recently located over the Gulf of Carpentaria. It has weakened to a Category 2 tropical cyclone, but is expected to undergo a period of reintensification as it prepares to make landfall again, forecasters said.
Narelle is the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since 2014, AccuWeather reported.
"There is a lot of rain in this system, and as it moves it will be hard and fast," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said during a news conference.
Though this storm will have no impact on the United States, it's a reminder that theNorth Atlantic hurricane season will soon approach. The North Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November.
Advertisement
More:Storms around the world remind us that Atlantic hurricane season is coming. What will it bring?
Tropical Cyclone Narelle will keep impacting Australia for days
The night of March 20 local time, Narelle was a Category 2 storm with wind speeds of about 60 mph, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
When it made its first landfall, Narelle brought destructive winds up to 120 mph, along with heavy rain and power outages to the northeast coast as authorities warned people to stay indoors. There were some early reports of structural damage and downed trees.
Narelle was moving west at about 11 mph. It is expected to make a second landfall on the eastern Northern Territory the night of March 21 or early morning of March 22 as a Category 3 storm. It will continue its track west, potentially weakening to a tropical low as it moves across the Top End region on March 22 and March 23. Redevelopment into a tropical cyclone is expected next week, and depending on the storm's path, a third landfall is possible, AccuWeather reported.
Across the Northern Territory on March 21, "very destructive winds" are expected in coastal areas between Birany Birany and Numbulwar, the bureau said. Heavy rain and flash flooding are also a risk.
Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones definitions
Hurricanes form in the Atlantic basin, along with the eastern and central Pacific basins. Typhoons form in the western Pacific, while cyclones (aka tropical cyclones) form in the Indian Ocean and in the South Pacific.
Unlike the North Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, the South Indian Ocean cyclone season typically runs from November through April, similar to the Southern Hemisphere cyclone seasons near Australia.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tropical Cyclone Narelle may hit Australia 3 times, forecast says