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In Brief
- Cyclone Narelle is set to make landfall at 7am on Friday (AEST)
- The initial Category 5 storm has been downgraded to Category 4
Residents in far north Queensland are preparing for what could be the most significant cyclone in over a century, as a potentially category 4 storm is expected to hit the region on Friday morning.
“This is an extremely powerful weather system,” stated Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology, as Tropical Cyclone Narelle moves closer to the coast.
“Storms of this magnitude are rare,” he added.
Initially projected to make landfall as a category 5 storm, Cyclone Narelle has intensified over the Coral Sea, with wind speeds reaching up to 285 km/h. However, at 4 a.m. (AEST), the Bureau of Meteorology revised the cyclone’s status to a category 4, noting sustained winds near the center of 195 km/h and gusts up to 270 km/h.
At 4am (AEST), the BoM downgraded the cyclone to a category 4 with sustained winds near the centre of 195km/h and wind gusts at 270km/h.
The monster storm is expected to make landfall about 7am (AEST) on Friday between Lockhart River and Cape Melville.
A cyclone warning zone has been declared for Lockhart River and Cape Flattery, and between Mapoon and Pormpuraaw, including Coen, Weipa, and Aurukun.
Vulnerable residents have been evacuated, tourists have returned home and schools have closed.
More than 100 emergency services personnel have been deployed as police go door-to-door to ensure locals are prepared.
After crossing Cape York, the storm is expected to lash the Northern Territory’s Top End before moving to Western Australia’s Kimberley coast.
About 500 people will be evacuated from NT’s remote Gulf of Carpentaria community of Numbulwar in the coming days.
Residents choosing to ride out the storm have been warned emergency services will not respond if conditions are too dangerous.
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