Cyclone Narelle: key points By
Far North Queensland is bracing for the impact of Cyclone Narelle, expected to be the biggest cyclone to hit the region in nine years.
The storm formed in the Coral Sea between Queensland’s east coast and Vanuatu, and was upgraded to tropical cyclone status on Tuesday afternoon.
As of Thursday afternoon, forecasters predict it will cross in the sparsely populated region between Lockhart River and Cape Melville on Friday morning, with a severe impact “very likely”.
It is expected to weaken as it crosses Queensland, but to strengthen to cyclone status again as it moves west over the Gulf of Carpentaria towards the Northern Territory.
Nine state schools have closed as conditions worsened before landfall, and would reopen when it was safe for staff and students to attend.
Premier David Crisafulli said the government was “keeping an eye” on more than 10 other schools within the warning zone.
Latest Posts 8.31pm Signing off By
Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of the approaching category 5 Cyclone Narelle, we’ll be back on deck with more live coverage tomorrow morning.
The cyclone is expected to first make landfall about 7am on Friday and is said to be the biggest to hit the region in nine years.
Residents in the areas that are forecast to be hit by the storm are advised to monitor updates from the Bureau of Meteorology, the government’s disaster advice website and Queensland Police.
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