Tropical Cyclone Narelle is forecast to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning, and then 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, and was expected to cross as a category-four, bringing destructive wind gusts in excess of 225km/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:
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, warned residents of the impact of strong winds, heavy rain, storm surges and flash flooding.
“I know these communities are resilient and they’ve been here before and they know what wind and a lot of rain looks like,” he said.
“This is a serious system though, and I’m asking people to take it seriously. Because it is the kind of event that doesn’t happen all that often.
“If a category-five system crosses the Queensland coast, it will be just the fourth time that has happened in half a century.
“I can’t sugar-coat this. The damage will be widespread.”
This page will be updated as the story develops …
