Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning. The massive storm will now continue on across the Gulf of Carpentaria and towards the Northern Territory in the coming days.
The cyclone intensified to a category five storm as it passed over the Coral Sea, but crossed the coast as a “high-end category four” system, bringing destructive wind gusts in excess of 250km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
You can follow Narelle’s path in the tracking map below. The map will be updated periodically with the latest forecasts:
A category four system could cause “significant structural damage” with loss of roofs, large and dangerous airborne debris, with winds strong enough to blow away trailers and caravans. Rainfall could bring dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding on the peninsular, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The system weakened to a category three system about midday of Friday, but was still was expected to cross the peninsular maintaining cyclone strength through Friday, passing just south of Aurukun with a population of 1,100 at about 7pm.
The system is expected to gain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Carpentaria, with a second landfall as a category three system on the west of the Top End on Saturday evening or in the early hours of Sunday taking Narelle over Anindilyakwa/Groote Eylandt (population 2,500).
Narelle is then expected to weaken to a tropical low as it moves across the Top End during Sunday, moving just north of Katherine by late on Sunday with the bureau warning heavy downpours would threaten already flooded communities in the region.
This page will be updated as the story develops …
