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

Share and Follow

There’s a better-than-even chance an early tropical cyclone could develop off northern Australia this week, with residents in the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory urged to monitor updates.

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.

A tropical low off the NT coast could become a cyclone this week. (Weatherzone)

“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.

Sea surface temperatures are heating up off northern Australia. (Bom/Weatherzone)

“This system has already caused heavy rain and thunderstorms over the western Top End in the last couple of days, including 228mm in 24 hours at Charles Point near Darwin, which was its heaviest rain in a decade,” Weatherzone reported.

“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.