Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina intensifies to category three system as it closes in on Darwin

Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina has intensified to a category three system as it closes in on Darwin today, making it the first cyclone of that strength in Australian waters in November in 20 years. Northern Territory Emergency Service issued an emergency warning for Darwin to Cape Hotham, including parts of the Tiwi Islands around Wurrumiyanga, advising households to “take shelter now” ahead of a predicted landfall in Darwin this evening. A cyclone watch and act alert for other affected areas including parts of the Tiwi Islands including Pirlangimpi and Milikapiti, Daly River Mouth to Cape Don, and inland to Batchelor. Darwin was expected to see the worst of Fina’s effects on Saturday, as the system advanced through the Van Diemen Gulf. It would be closest to the city at about 9pm. Shelves were empty in some stores across Darwin as the city prepared for the wild weather, while NT Emergency Service advised major supermarkets would be closed, and buses would not be running. Royal Darwin hospital has issued a code brown, according to NT News, a nationally recognised emergency alert which streamlines emergency management systems. Darwin airport has advised all travellers to check with their airline regarding flight delays or cancellations. Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina was about 120km to the north-east of Darwin on Saturday morning. It was moving southwest at about 9km/h, said senior meteorologist Dean Narramore , from the Bureau of Meteorology, at 9:30am. The BoM has issued a cyclone warning for the Tiwi Islands, Daly River Mouth to Cape Don, and inland to Batchelor. This includes Darwin, Cobourg Peninsula, Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Risks included destructive winds, torrential rain, dangerous flooding, waves and storm tide and possible disruption to essential supplies like electricity, water and gas. Households in affected areas were advised to enact their emergency plans immediately. Narramore said conditions had started to intensify around the core of the cyclone, with winds up to 185km/h. “That’s the inner eye wall, that circle you can see on radar where there’s not rainfall, and the rain’s circulating around that.” As a category three system, there were sustained winds of 120 km an hour with gusts up to about 165km/h, according to the latest track map (issued at 7:33am). Winds of 104km/h were recorded at McCluer Island at 1:58am. Heavy rain has already been falling across the NT, with 103.6mm recorded at Murganella airstrip since midnight. “Some of our island locations have seen 200 millimetres in the last 24 hours,” Narramore said. Although the bulk of the rain was still to come, according to the BoM. “We’ve already seen around 20 or 30mm around Darwin and many other areas. That rain is going to continue to increase as we move through today and tonight.” High tide in Darwin was expected around 8pm, Narramore said, which would coincide with the worst conditions of the cyclone, particularly for coastal areas - expected to peak from about 5pm to 10pm. “In the coming days, we’re likely to see a continuous Category 3 status through Sunday and Monday as it heads towards the northern Kimberley coast,” Narramore said. The last cyclone to reach category three in November was tropical cyclone Bertie-Alvin in 2005, according to Weatherzone. Fina was also the equal earliest tropical cyclone to make landfall, as it briefly crossed the Cobourg Peninsula on Friday night before moving back over the ocean.