Tropical Cyclone Narelle is on a direct path toward northeastern Australia, where it will make a rare landfall as a powerful storm.
“Tropical Cyclone Narelle is forecast to rapidly intensify and could reach the equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale before approaching the Cape York Peninsula of Australia on Friday,” AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls said.
Get Your AccuWeather ForecastRain and wind will begin to impact the Cape York Peninsula by Thursday afternoon and continue through Friday night. Sustained winds of 210 km/h (130 mph), with gusts up to 260 km/h (160 mph), are expected near landfall Friday morning.
“The first landfall is currently forecast between Cooktown and Lockhart River,” Nicholls explained.
Rainfall of around 300 mm (12 inches), with localized totals of 450 to 600 mm (18 to 24 inches), is expected along the storm’s path, although the system’s forward speed may limit totals in some areas.
Coastal inundation and damaging surf are likely along the peninsula’s eastern coast.
Storm could make 3 landfalls
Narelle could make up to three separate landfalls across northern Australia in the coming days, increasing the risk of repeated impacts.
The last tropical cyclone to strike this region was Jasper in December 2023, which made landfall as a Category 2 on the Australian scale, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The last Category 4 or stronger storm on the Australian scale to impact the peninsula was Cyclone Ita in April 2014.