High Alert Issued: Residents Urged to Prepare as Cyclone Threat Escalates

A tropical low-pressure system is taking shape over the Timor Sea.

This system is currently drifting away from Australia, but the Bureau of Meteorology predicts it will likely shift direction on Thursday, heading south and then southwest towards the Northern Territory coast.

“Conditions are conducive for the development of tropical low 02U, and the probability of it evolving into a tropical cyclone grows as the week continues,” stated the Bureau’s cyclone forecast earlier today.

“Although there’s still significant variation in model intensity predictions, there’s an increasing chance that 02U could transform into a tropical cyclone by Wednesday or Thursday.”

As of now, the Bureau estimates a 60 percent likelihood that a cyclone will form between 11 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday.

But the possibility remains over 50 per cent from tomorrow night, through to next Monday, which BoM calculates as a “high” risk level.

“At this early stage in the system’s development, it is difficult to predict exactly where it will move and how strong it will get.

“However, there is enough consensus between forecast models for residents in the Top End and Kimberley to pay close attention to the latest tropical cyclone forecasts and advisories for the most up-to-date information over the coming week.”

Residents in those regions are urged to stay on top of weather updates and prepare their emergency plan.

While Australia’s tropical cyclone season runs from November to April, it’s rare to see one develop this early.

Weatherzone said only four cyclones in recorded history had made landfall on the Australian mainland in November, with the most recent being Tropical Cyclone Alessia in 2013.

Last month, the Bureau of Meteorology revealed the first cyclone to develop in the Australian region in the 2025-2026 season would be named Fina.