The colours are showing how tall and deep the clouds are, and the clouds around Fina at the moment are very deep, showing the development of rain and thunderstorms stretching a long way up through the atmosphere. This cloud is clearly marking the centre of Fina, so we can put the tropical cyclone position onto the map and zoom in a little. It is a category 2 system. The category number only tells us how strong the wind is. A category 2 means average winds between 90 and 120 km an hour around the system and wind gusts up to 160. These are very strong winds. It is about 180 km north of the coastline and about 380 km northeast of Darwin.
Moving away from the satellite imagery and onto the track map shows where the system is likely to go. Through the remainder of Thursday, Fina is likely to move almost straight southwards toward the northern coast of the Territory. Into Friday morning it looks set to swing and move on a southwesterly path that will take it through the Van Diemen Gulf and near Darwin, probably just north of the city. Through this time it is most likely to stay as a category 2 cyclone, but it could intensify into a category 3 in the next 24 to 48 hours. That is being watched closely.
Because the path takes it so close to the Northern Territory, significant weather impacts are expected. Zooming further in shows the tropical cyclone warning and watch areas across the NT. The warning area is shown in orange and covers places where gale force winds are expected in the next 24 hours. That stretches from the top of the Cobourg Peninsula around Cape Don across to Maningrida further east. In this area, winds up to 120 km an hour are expected to build through the day on Friday and potentially around the peninsula on Friday night as the cyclone crosses, winds could reach about 150 km an hour.
The yellow region is the tropical cyclone watch area. This is where strong winds are expected but not until later, possibly 24 to 48 hours ahead. The watch includes Darwin, stretches across Gunbalanya and includes the Tiwi Islands. These areas are likely to see strong wind and heavy rainfall as the system moves through between now and the end of the weekend.
Category 2 moving southwards will bring wind and rain initially building across the northern coast of the Top End on Friday. Into Saturday morning it moves into the Van Diemen Gulf as a category 2 system, and later on Saturday Darwin is expected to see its most significant weather impacts as the cyclone gets very close to the city. Damaging wind, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are all possible across the Darwin area. Into Sunday and early next week it is likely to continue moving southwest, potentially towards the Kimberley and northern Western Australia.
Significant rainfall is forecast across the NT coast. Multiple hundreds of millimetres are possible across the northern and northwestern coasts of the Top End, with Darwin again in the firing line for some of the most significant falls. Flooding and flash flooding are possibilities. Cyclones bring a range of significant impacts, including damage from wind affecting trees, powerlines and property. Flash flooding and riverine flooding are both expected in the coming days. A flood watch is in place for NT rivers as water levels may rise rapidly.
Along the coast, very dangerous conditions are possible. Large waves, hazardous surf and powerful swells are likely, and tidal levels may increase around the time the cyclone crosses the coast. Forecasts and track maps for Tropical Cyclone Fina are being updated every three hours, so check the latest information on the Bureau's website and the BOM Weather app. Updates will also be available on social media. Thanks very much for watching.
Video current: 11:00 am ACST Thursday 20/11/25.
