LOCATION/S: Parts of the Tiwi Islands including Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Daly River Mouth to Cape Don.
ALERT LEVEL: Watch and Act - There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family. Please note there are multiple alerts for this weather system.
RISKS FACED BY PEOPLE IN THE AREA:
Destructive windsTorrential rainDangerous flooding, waves and storm tidePossible disruption to essential supplies like electricity, water and gas
ACTION STATEMENTS:
Enact your household emergency plan nowPrepare your property now - secure loose itemsStay informed by following SecureNT on Facebook or listen to ABC Local RadioMonitor conditions via [http://www.bom.gov.au/nt/warnings]For emergency service in floods, storms or cyclones call 132 500In a life threatening situation call 000Take extra care on the roads, visit here for latest road conditions
ADVICE TO THE PUBLIC:
Intensity:
Category 3, sustained winds near the centre of 130 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 185 kilometres per hour.
Location:
within 20 kilometres of 11.8 degrees South 131.3 degrees East, estimated to be 85 kilometres north northeast of Darwin and 75 kilometres east of Wurrumiyanga.
Movement:
Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina is now near the southeast coast of Melville Island moving west southwest and is expected to pass north of Darwin this evening.
After passing Darwin, Fina is forecast to maintain severe tropical cyclone intensity on Sunday or early Monday as it moves through the southern Timor Sea, and then start weakening during Monday or Tuesday near the Kimberley coast.
Hazards
GALES with DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 km/h are occurring over the Cobourg Peninsula, eastern parts of Melville Island and Cape Hotham to Point Stuart. Gales are expected to extend further west to include Darwin this afternoon and across the remainder of the Tiwi Islands during the day. Gales may extend southwest to Daly River Mouth overnight, and if Fina takes a more southerly track, gales could extend south to Wadeye on Sunday.
Later Sunday or on Monday, GALES may extend to coastal parts of the north Kimberley in WA, from Kalumburu to the WA/NT Border, but not including Wyndham or Kununurra. HEAVY to LOCALLY INTENSE RAINFALL which may lead to FLASH FLOODING is possible along coastal areas between the Tiwi Islands and the Cobourg Peninsula, extending to coastal and adjacent inland areas across the western Top End including Darwin later today and on Sunday.
Coastal residents on the Tiwi Islands, and between Cape Hotham and Warruwi are specifically warned that tides are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark with LARGE WAVES and MINOR FLOODING of low-lying coastal areas.
Safety advice
NTES advises people on the Tiwi Islands, and elsewhere between Daly River Mouth to Cape Don, including Darwin, Batchelor and Cobourg Peninsula should immediately commence or continue preparations, especially securing boats and property, using available daylight hours. NTES advises people elsewhere near and between Wadeye and south of Daly River Mouth, should consider what action they will need to take if the cyclone threat increases.
For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit the Secure NT website ( https://securent.nt.gov.au here). For emergency assistance call the Northern Territory Emergency Service (NTES) on 132 500 (for assistance with storm damage, rising flood water, fallen trees on buildings or roof damage).
