The northeast of Australia is preparing for severe storms: Tropical storm “Narelle” has strengthened into a cyclone of the highest category 5 and is heading towards the state of Queensland, as the state weather office BoM announced.
03/19/2026, 06:2803/19/2026, 06:28
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of a “very dangerous weather event”. Authorities expect the system to make landfall on Friday morning (local time) with gusts of more than 250 kilometers per hour. This has not happened in the region for more than 100 years, emphasized Queensland Premier David Crisafulli. The storm is currently reaching wind speeds of 205 km/h over the sea and gusts of 285 km/h at its center, reported the weather service Weatherzone.
The cyclone is expected to hit the region above Port Douglas in Queensland hardest.Image: imago
Heavy rain and flash floods feared
The region between the coastal town of Lockhart River and the Cape Melville headland on the Cape York Peninsula is likely to be particularly affected. In addition to extreme winds, heavy rain and flash floods are expected. However, the area is not very densely populated.
The regional government also warned of possible power and communications outages as well as cut-off transport routes. Residents would have to prepare for longer outages, “because a system of this magnitude will put the networks to the test, there is no doubt about that,” said Crisafulli.
The Northern Territory is also preparing
Schools were closed, emergency services were increased and residents in particularly vulnerable areas were asked to evacuate or seek safe accommodation. The neighboring Northern Territory is also already preparing for the effects of the storm this weekend.
Just last year, tropical storm Alfred caused severe flooding in parts of Queensland and New South Wales. Many people were trapped by the water and had to wait for help. Hundreds of thousands of households and businesses were temporarily without power. (sda/dpa)