Intensifying Tropical Cyclone Narelle takes aim at Australia with destructive winds, flooding, and storm surge
Life-threatening dangers include violent winds capable of tearing apart homes, large, deadly debris that may become airborne, a serious risk of injury, flooding and dangerous storm surge.
Watch: Tropical Cyclone Narelle strengthens over the northern Coral Sea, bringing life-threatening risks
Fascinating satellite footage captures Tropical Cyclone Narelle strengthening over the northern Coral Sea on March 18. Expected to make landfall in Far North Queensland on Friday before tracking westward toward the eastern Northern Territory over the weekend, the cyclone poses massive risks, including destructive winds, widespread structural damage, and flooding.
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA — Tropical Cyclone Narelle is rapidly developing off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia, posing a significant threat to the region.
Life-threatening dangers include violent winds capable of tearing apart homes, large, deadly debris that may become airborne, a serious risk of injury, flooding and dangerous storm surge.
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Local news outlets report one resident saying they can feel something coming, while another struggled to sleep as the cyclone is expected to make landfall around 7 a.m. local time on Friday.
Evacuations and school closures are already underway ahead of the threat. Approximately 500 residents of Numbulwar are being airlifted to Darwin, according to the Northern Territory Government.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle strengthens over the northern Coral Sea, March 18.
(@CIRA_CSU / X)
Forming in the Coral Sea, the system was initially classified as a Category 2 cyclone on March 17–18 by the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia, before quickly strengthening to Category 4, and then intensifying further into a Category 5 storm on March 19.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall in Far North Queensland on Friday, March 20, before tracking westward toward the eastern Northern Territory over the weekend.
What is a tropical cyclone?
In the general sense, a tropical cyclone can be described as an intense rotating storm that forms over tropical or subtropical oceans.
Specifically, it’s a warm-core low pressure system, without a front attached, that rotates in an organized circulation over the tropical ocean, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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These also include hurricanes and typhoons.
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NASA said the storm system works by drawing in warm, moist air, which rises, cools, and condenses to create clouds and release heat, powering a low-pressure core and causing rapid rotation due to Earth’s spin.
"And when the wind speeds reach 74 mph, the storm is officially a ‘tropical cyclone,’ or hurricane," they said.
What areas will be impacted by the Narelle?
The Bureau of Meteorology in Australia states the following areas as under a Warning Zone: Cape York Peninsula between Lockhart River and Cape Tribulation, and between Mapoon and Pormpuraaw, including Coen, Cooktown, Weipa, and Aurukun.
And a Watch Zone includes the following: Nhulunbuy to Port McArthur, including Borroloola, Numbulwar, Alyangula, and Ngukurr.
What type of threats come with Narelle and a Category 5 storm?
Narelle is expected to bring sustained winds near the maximum zone at about 137 mph (220 km/h) and with wind gusts to about 196 mph (315 km/h), according to the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia.
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These winds have the capability to destroy homes and infrastructure, as well as vegetation, with such intensity that debris can become airborne, effectively turning into ‘flying missiles.’
The Bureau notes that very destructive wind gusts could exceed 155 mph (250 km/h) as it pushes across the Cape York Peninsula coast on Friday morning.
![Commuters wade across a flooded street after heavy rains ahead of Cyclone Michaung's landfall in Chennai on December 3, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 5Commuters wade across a flooded street after heavy rains ahead of Cyclone Michaung's landfall in Chennai on December 3, 2023. (Photo by R. Satish BABU / AFP) (Photo by R. SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 2 of 5Commuters make their way through a flooded road after heavy rains in Chennai on December 4, 2023. Cyclone Michuang is expected to make landfall on December 5 along the southern coast. (Photo by R. Satish BABU / AFP) (Photo by R. SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel row a boat through a flooded street, during a rescue operation to help trapped civilians following heavy rainfall in Chennai on December 4, 2023.]()
Image 3 of 5National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel row a boat through a flooded street, during a rescue operation to help trapped civilians following heavy rainfall in Chennai on December 4, 2023. (Photo by R. Satish BABU / AFP) (Photo by R. SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Aerial view of the area affected by an extratropical cyclone in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, taken on September 5, 2023.]()
Image 4 of 5Aerial view of the area affected by an extratropical cyclone in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, taken on September 5, 2023. Torrential rain and winds caused by an extratropical cyclone have left at least 21 people dead in southern Brazil, officials said Tuesday, warning more flooding may be coming. (MATEUS BRUXEL/AGENCIA RBS/AFP)
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Image 5 of 5Aerial view of the area affected by an extratropical cyclone in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, taken on September 5, 2023. Torrential rain and winds caused by an extratropical cyclone have left at least 21 people dead in southern Brazil, officials said Tuesday, warning more flooding may be coming. The latest in a string of weather disasters to hit Brazil, it is the deadliest ever in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference. (Photo by Mateus BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS / AFP) / Brazil OUT (Photo by MATEUS BRUXEL/AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty Images) (BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS / AFP)
Heavy rainfall will be associated with the storm, along with large waves, likely triggering minor to dangerous flooding.
The Bureau notes that the tides in the Princess Charlotte Bay are likely to rise well above normal high tide, accompanied by destructive waves and significant flooding.
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They also warned of possible hazardous storm tide as the center of the cyclone crosses the coast.
How often do tropical cyclones occur in the region?
The Bureau of Meteorology in Australia states that, on average, the Australian region experiences 10 tropical cyclones each season, with three to four of them making landfall, based on data from 1980 to 81 and onward.
Large waves crash into the Bondi Baths and Icebergs Club at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach on July 2, 2025, as large swells and high winds hit the east coast of Australia.
(Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"There has always been at least one tropical cyclone that crosses the Australian coast each season," they said, with quiet periods usually followed by bursts of activity.
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Stay prepared by following the latest updates and tracking the storm on the Bureau of Meteorology website, where they provide detailed information on targeted areas.