Overview
- Narelle made landfall Friday morning between Lockhart River and Cape Melville near Coen as a high‑end category 4, with sustained winds near 200 km/h and gusts above 250 km/h.
- Early reports from Cape York cite localized structural damage and widespread power outages, with authorities saying there were no confirmed fatalities.
- The system weakened over land to category 2–3 and is moving into the Gulf of Carpentaria, where it is forecast to intensify before crossing the NT coast late Saturday or early Sunday between Birany Birany and Ngukurr as a category 3.
- BoM warns of 100–200 mm of rain along the NT Top End with a risk of renewed major flooding around Katherine and Beswick and prolonged major flooding around the Daly River, plus a potentially dangerous storm tide near the coast.
- Emergency responses include Queensland door‑to‑door checks, extra police and energy crews, ADF support, school closures, and NT evacuations from Numbulwar with hundreds flown to Darwin for shelter.