Dangerous Tropical Cyclone Ita To Make Landfall in Australia

Tropical Cyclone Ita, which surprised forecasters by rapidly intensifying into a fierce, compact storm that packs winds up to 160 miles per hour, is bearing down on the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia

With each successive forecast, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) projected storm track has come into closer agreement with the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That spells trouble for the tropical resort city of Cairns, which is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the lush forests of northern Queensland.