Australia Weather News

Some homes in the community of Borroloola on the Gulf of Carpentaria were evacuated with 74 residents sheltering elsewhere, as they waited for Cyclone Alfred to make landfall about sunrise on Tuesday.

The category one storm has formed in the Gulf but is expected to weaken before crossing the NT coast.

Borroloola is the main focus of emergency services' attention, and the 1,000 or so residents of the community and its wider region have been advised to shelter indoors.

"If you've got strong winds there's always the likelihood of debris flying around … whole trees coming down," NT's Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services executive director Jennifer Reilly said.

"It's best that people remain inside and that they stay there and don't get a false sense that everything's OK, wait til they get the all-clear."

She said 74 people had been relocated on Monday amid fears of flooding, and were sheltering with family and in a community crèche.

The airstrip is still open and the community has enough supplies for five days, she said, adding thearea's infrastructure is expected to withstand a category one cyclone.

"All roads into and out of Borroloola and surrounding areas are closed, and we're asking that residents don't take risks and don't drive through any flooded water at all," Ms Reilly said.

Strong winds to batter the area

Two-hundred millimetres of rain has been recorded at Borroloola over the past 24 hours and similar falls are expected over the next few days, the BOM said, adding winds could increase.

A warning was in place from Port Roper in the NT to Mornington Island in Queensland, including Groote Eylandt, with a watch zone extending to Burketown.

Sustained winds near the centre of the cyclone are 85 kilometres per hour, with wind gusts of 120kph. It is located about 115km east-northeast of Borroloola, moving south-southeast at 6kph.

The slow-moving low had been threatening to turn into a cyclone for days, and finally intensified into Cyclone Alfred about 7am on Monday.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Sally Cutter said the weather system had been circling around the coast.

"Alfred's gone off to Mornington Island and come back, headed off to Groote [Eylandt] and come back, he's well-travelled," she said.

"He's tracking south-east towards the coast, he'll probably weaken out before he crosses the coast, and then do a sharp turn right and head out across the southern parts of the Top End."

Heavy rain that may lead to flooding is occurring over the eastern Carpentaria district over the next day or so, the BOM warned, with abnormally high tides were expected around the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast.

Large waves may produce minor flooding along low-lying coastal areas.

River waters 'well and truly' over bridges in Borroloola

Residents of the McArthur River Caravan Park have been battening down the hatches.

"It's not calming down, we've still got plenty of rain," said Julie Rawlings, from the park.

"It has its moments where it pours down pretty heavy and then eases off a little bit, but it doesn't look like it'll be stopping anytime soon."

She said residents of the south side of the community were cut off from the town centre by floodwaters, and that the river's water level was "well and truly over the bridges".

"The wind's picking up today and we expect it will pick up more later in the day, so it's just a matter of tying things down that could get a little blowy," Ms Rawlings said.

King Ash Bay village flooded

Shacks in the fishing village of King Ash Bay in the Gulf of Carpentaria have been flooded by the McArthur River, and all roads in have been cut off by floodwaters, stranding about 20 to 30 people.

Retired fisherman Greg Quail, who lives near on the banks of the McArthur River, told ABC Rural on Monday morning the water was almost at his front door.

"We've still got torrential rain. It has been raining since the day before yesterday [Saturday]; it hasn't even stopped once," he said.

"The river at the moment is six foot [1.8 metres] from the door, but I would say it will be through here in another couple of hours.

Mr Quail moved as many belongings as he could onto tables and higher ground before leaving his shack.

"We have lifted all our freezers up on tables, fridges up on things, anything electrical I have as high as I can get it," he said.

ABC