Australia Weather News

The Northern Territory is bracing for a rare November cyclone to make landfall on Saturday, with preparations under way in communities along the coast.

Tropical Cyclone Fina is now a category two storm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), with the system approaching the coast near Cape Don, on the western tip of the Cobourg Peninsula.

The storm is then predicted to proceed over Melville Island before bypassing the mainland north of Darwin, with the NT capital now sitting at the edge of the forecast gale-force winds zone.

A tropical cyclone warning is now active for the area between Cape Don and Warruwi, including the Cobourg Peninsula and Minjilang.

A cyclone watch is also in place between Maningrida in the east and Cape Hotham north of Darwin, including Gunbalanya on the edge of Kakadu National Park, as well as the Tiwi Islands.

The BOM is advising residents in the warning zone to "immediately commence or continue preparations, especially securing boats and property, using available daylight hours".

It says those in the watch zone "should consider what action they will need to take if the cyclone threat increases".

The BOM states that Fina has arrived particularly early in the northern Australian cyclone season. And ABC meteorologist Tom Saunders has reported that in most years, the first cyclone does not form until December, or occasionally, January.

Some other past November cyclones to affect the region include Severe Tropical Cyclone Ines in 1973 and Tropical Cyclone Alessia in 2011.

"It is an early start to the cyclone season this year," BOM NT senior officer Jude Scott said.

"[But] we do occasionally have cyclones form during November. We have had that happen historically."

Destructive wind gusts of up to 155 kilometres an hour are predicted within the warning zone from Friday as the storm nears the coast, and flash flooding is possible between Maningrida and the Tiwi Islands.

"Coastal residents on the Tiwi Islands, and between Cape Hotham and Maningrida, are specifically warned of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast during Friday and Saturday," the BOM website reads.

"Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide, with damaging waves and dangerous flooding."

In Darwin, NT Emergency Service (NTES) chief officer Wayne Snell said the majority of buildings were built to withstand cyclone conditions, so staying home would be the safest option for most people.

However, he said community shelters were available for those who needed them.

On Wednesday, Mr Snell said there were no plans for any evacuations from remote communities or islands "at this stage". 

He said residents should prepare their emergency kits and double-check they had adequate supplies.

He said local emergency services were "very well prepared", and he asked the community to heed all advice from authorities.

Mr Snell also said anyone who evacuated their home should bring their cyclone kit with them as "emergency shelters are not serviced" and noted most of them did not allow pets.

Tiwi Islands bunker down

With Cyclone Fina predicted to pass over parts of the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, in the coming days, preparations are well underway in local communities.

NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner James O'Brien said extra police had been sent to the communities of Milikapiti, Pirlangimpi and Wurrumiyanga to assist.

He said the additional frontline staff would ensure "local emergency committees were well engaged in terms of making sure that those communities are resilient".

Extra police officers were also sent to Minjilang and Warruwi on Croker and South Goulburn Islands off the northern Top End coast on Wednesday afternoon to help locals prepare for the impending weather.

Both Tiwi College and a local community social hub, Nguiu Club, will be closing, with the club and bistro asked by police to shut down over Friday and Saturday, according to online community noticeboards.

The college dropped students home "for safety reasons" yesterday, and suggested families "keep an eye on further updates from the college as the weather situation develops".

The Tiwi Islands Regional Council advised that ferry services between Bathurst and Melville Islands were cancelled as of the close of business on Wednesday.

In a statement, the council said the ferry would be taken upriver and moored in a safe location, with the service expected to resume on Monday.

Ferry operator Sealink said its services between the Tiwi Islands and Darwin were also cancelled, and services to Mandorah could also be impacted in the coming days.

Arborists helping locals prepare

Arborist Ben Atkinson Jr has been helping Darwin residents prepare ahead of the cyclone making landfall, chopping down trees to reduce the risks associated with the upcoming storm.

He said his team was expecting a lot of night shifts and 24-hour shifts as the storm approached, adding it had worked through "torrential rain" previously and only stopped when there was lightning.

He said a huge workload was not uncommon at this time of year, but the risk generally increased later in the Top End wet season.

Mr Atkinson suggested "anything hazardous and large" around the home, including palms and backyard mahogany trees, should be considered for removal — especially if they had been damaged by dieback or white ants.

He said falling branches, dubbed "widow makers" because of the deadly threat they posed, were a serious threat that not everyone took seriously.

"A lot of people go, 'Oh well, just leave it for another year. It'll be fine,' and we end up coming back and getting it off their roof," he said.

"The Territory's one of the worst places for falling trees due to our high winds, big storms, our white ants and our airborne fungi, so don't be complacent."

Cyclone Marcus pulled down trees across Darwin when it hit the city in March 2018.

"Any big trees throughout your property that are close to your dwellings, fence lines or neighbouring properties, definitely get rid of," Mr Atkinson said.

"Save yourself, save your neighbours, it'll save you money in the long run."

Supermarket shelves stripped bare

On Tuesday and Wednesday, days out from Cyclone Fina's predicted landfall, Darwin supermarkets were beginning to run low on stocks of bottled water, bread, and some canned products such as baked beans.

Shoppers around Casuarina Square Shopping Centre, including both locals and tourists, told the ABC about their cyclone preparation plans.

One woman who bought water and cooking necessities said it was "good to be prepared" in case the weather led to grocery store closures.

She said it was a lesson she had learnt from previous natural disasters, "because you never know what you will face in the coming few days".

Another woman, a young mother, said she had noticed "some of the shelves were getting a bit thin" and she was worried about shoppers "getting a bit silly with panic buying".

"We just went in there to get some standard snacks to reset our pantry. People should have back-up, but they don't need to panic buy," she said.

The woman said her family had not experienced a cyclone in the NT before, having been on holiday when Cyclone Marcus hit in 2018.

"My mum said it's not going to be like Cyclone Tracy where it just destroys everything in its path," her son said.

A man visiting Darwin to see his daughter said they were staying in a home that had never been hit by a cyclone.

He said the family was looking at upcoming travel plans and preparing for the possibility of cancelled flights.

"Unless they say it's upgraded to a category three cyclone, I think we're safe where we are in Rapid Creek," he said.

Roads cut off by water

A post on the Kakadu National Park Facebook page on Wednesday said Cahills Crossing — one of Australia's most notorious river crossings, infamous for its crocodile-inhabited waters — was closed after water levels rose overnight, making the road impassable.

"The NT Department of Logistics and Infrastructure has closed the road for community and visitor safety," the post said.

"Please do not attempt to cross.

"Conditions can change quickly during the wet season, and fast-moving water makes this East Alligator River crossing extremely dangerous."

Cahills Crossing is the main river crossing into Arnhem Land over the East Alligator River, with its closure leaving many communities isolated.