Tropical Cyclone Narelle live updates: Category two system expected to intensify as it moves towards the Northern Territory

You can head to the ABC Emergency website for all updates, including a map of all warnings.

ABC Emergency will broadcast regular warnings on ABC Radio, which you can stream on the ABC Listen App.

Here are the radio frequencies for local stations:

For NT: ABC Darwin 

Darwin – 105.7 FMKatherine – 106.1 FMJabiru – 747 AMNhulunbuy and Yirrkala – 990 AMGroote Eylandt, Pine Creek, Mataranka and Borroloola – 106.1 FM

For Queensland: ABC Far North 

Cooktown – 105.7 FMLakeland – 106.1 FMLaura – 106.1 FMMossman, Port Douglas and the Daintree – 639 AMWeipa – 1044 AM

You can also keep across the latest warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology on its website.

(ABC News: Christopher Testa)

David Crisafulli has arrived in Cooktown where he is chairing the Queensland Disaster Management Committee.

He is due to address media later this morning. We will bring that to you live.

Damage assessments continue across Cape York Peninsula where several communities remain without power following Tropical Cyclone Narelle.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle is tracking across the Gulf of Carpentaria, having crossed the Far North Queensland coast as a category four system.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast suggests the cyclone will cross the Northern Territory coast later today.

Follow the link below to see how the system is tracking.

(Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)

A coastal hazard warning for abnormally high tides has been issued for people in parts of Peninsula and Gulf Country Forecast Districts.

There are elevated sea levels and waves as Tropical Cyclone Narelle moves westward over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Abnormally high tides which may lead to sea water flooding of low-lying coastal areas are expected between Mapoon and Pormpuraaw.

Tides are likely to rise well above the normal high tide mark during the morning high tide.

Damaging surf conditions are which may lead to coastal erosion and localised damage to coastal infrastructure are possible.

Locations which may be affected include Weipa, Aurukun, Pormpuraaw, Napranum and Old Mapoon.

Weipa Town Authority chairperson Jaime Gane says there are a number of trees down that have blocked roads and downed power lines.

“We have received a couple of reports that trees have fallen onto properties or onto the sides of properties, but in terms of structural damage from the winds, I think we have come out pretty good so far,” she says.

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Kerry McCallum has shared this video with us from Moreton Telegraph Station in Wenlock, just west of Lockhart River.

She says it is “pretty messy” where she is now preparing for major flooding.

Cook Shire Mayor Robyn Holmes says there were no major issues in Coen, where water has been turned back on, with restrictions in place.

She says she is hopeful power will be restored today.

She says with the rivers still flooding, it is likely there will be no road transport for four to five days.

Cr Holmes says while food supplies were fine, fuel is low in Coen.

“We will try and get fuel supplies in there as soon as the road is clear,” she says.

Cr Holmes says her immediate concern was for people on properties.

“We did have one property that had the roof taken off their home. They were sheltering in a container yesterday,” she says.

(ABC News: Christopher Testa)

The ABC’s Christopher Testa is in Cooktown this morning.

It is to the south of where TC Narelle crossed eastern Cape York as a category four system.

He says the weather is calm there this morning with a rainbow emerging.

Premier David Crisafulli is due to travel to the region today to inspect damage from yesterday’s event.

TC Narelle is tracking quickly westwards towards the eastern Top End. (Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)

Here’s the latest information from the Bureau of Meteorology.

It is a category two system with sustained winds near the centre of 110km/h with gusts up to 155km/h.

It is over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and moving west at 20km/h.

Narelle is forecast to strengthen during Saturday as it tracks quickly westwards towards the eastern Top End.

The BOM expects it will cross the eastern Top End coast overnight Saturday or early Sunday morning, most likely between Birany Birany and Numbulwar, as a severe tropical cyclone.

Narelle will then weaken as it moves inland across the Top End on Sunday and Monday.

A warning zone is current for Nhulunbuy to Port McArthur, including Borroloola, Numbulwar, Alyangula, and Gapuwiyak.

There is a watch zone extending west to include Ramingining, Bulman, and Ngukurr.

Nate Byrne with Scott Campbell and 11-year-old Riley in Weipa.  (ABC News)

The ABC’s Nate Byrne has caught up with Scott Campbell and 11-year-old Riley in Weipa.

Scott says Tropical Cyclone Narelle has been wet and wild.

“We have seen a couple of other smaller cyclones come through, but this certainly tops the cake,” he says.

“This is worse than anything we’ve seen before.”

He says they are lucky to have been left with just a few trees and branches down, but unfortunately his neighbours have had a bit more damage.

“Our neighbours on both sides have lost fences, they’ve lost gates, panels and had a lot of tree damage,” he says.

Riley says it was “definitely scary” last night. 

“We were going to let my dog out to go to the toilet and then a massive rush of wind came and nearly knocked me off my feet,” he says.

Wayne Coutts from the SES says while Far North Queensland has “dodged a bullet” from Cyclone Narelle, there is still danger in the clean-up.

He says there are often injuries from people using equipment they aren’t familiar with, or from fatigue.

“Be calm, be methodical as you start to recover your own properties,” he says.

“Think about your actions.

“If you’ve had a big long night listening to the wind, think about that fatigue.

“Take it easy so you don’t make mistakes.”

Wayne Coutts from the SES says some communities in Queensland’s far north are without water and power at the moment.

But he says work is being done to restore both.

“The access to those places will be difficult,” he says.

“There are areas like Weipa, parts of Aurukun that don’t have power at the moment.”

SES far northern regional director Wayne Coutts says this morning in Queensland’s west coast there are numerous trees down and across roads, but overall the area had “dodged a bullet”. 

“Damage to property seems very minimal at this point in time in the townships themselves,” he says.

“But [we] really have dodged a bullet at the moment, I would say.”

He says most requests this morning have been for sandbags.

“Most people had prepared themselves very, very well,” he says.

Emergency management minister Kristy McBain says there’s ADF personnel already assisting with the flooding clean-up across Katherine and will assist if needed with the impact of TC Narelle.

She says the ADF has helped with evacuations, including moving people from Numbulwar to Darwin last night.

When asked about whether the current fuel situation would have an impact on the response to TC Narelle, Ms McBain said it would “absolutely not”.

“We have made sure we’ve got more reserves in Australia on Australian soil than ever before,” she says.

The BOM says communities in the NT can expect rainfall from 150 to 200mm daily with the passage of Cyclone Narelle.

The spokesperson says the system will continue to weaken and the risk for significant rainfall remains primarily from Sunday through to Monday.

“Into next week, the system will track over the northern Kimberly and move offshore into the Indian Ocean from Tuesday,” she says.

A BOM spokesperson says Tropical Cyclone Narelle is currently sitting in the Gulf of  Carpenteria as a category two system.

She says the system will approach the north of Groote Eylandt as a category three.

“Impacts will start to be felt on the ground tonight by coastal communities,” she says.

The system is expected to cross between Numbulwar and  Birany Birany.

Emergency management minister Kristy McBain has provided an update from Canberra.

She says the national critical care and trauma response team is set to be deployed to Katherine and will stand up a field hospital if required.

“This has already been a long, high risk whether season for communities that have already been impacted by flooding,” she says.

“The danger is not yet over.”

In the NT as warning zone is in place for Nhulunbuy to Port McArthur, including Borroloola, Numbulwar, Alyangula, and Gapuwiyak.

“I urge everyone in the warning zone to prepare, enact their emergency plans if they haven’t already done so,” she says.

“We know the catchments are already very wet and soggy, so if it is flooded please forget it.”

Cook MP David Kempton says he will be visiting communities from Coen to Weipa to understand what their needs are.

“We are just relieved there is no substantial property damage, and certainly at this stage I have not heard of any injuries,” he told the ABC.

“I think certainly on the east coast they really dodged a bullet. It was a very intense system.”

Mr Kempton says with the risk of flooding, he hopes people “stay out of the water”.

With the intensity and speed of the system, he says it was remarkable how well prepared and calm people were as it approached.

“The big thing is keeping the supply lines open [for] fuel, food and other essentials,” he says.

Ergon Energy crews will fly into cyclone-affected towns across Cape York today to assess the extent of damage to the power network.

About 1,200 people were without power in communities across the Cape on Friday night.

Ergon’s Brett Judge says until teams touch down on the ground, they won’t know how long it’ll take to restore power.

“If we have to be putting poles up, we are flying everything in,” he says. “There are no vehicles able to access any of these areas, so everything we need to put in the area to do the repair work will be carried by crew members.”

He says teams will go to Aurukun, Lockhart River and Coen and “pretty much anywhere we can get aircraft into”.

Nate Byrne is in Weipa (ABC News)

The ABC’s Nate Byrne is in Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula.

He says there has been some bursts of “gusty winds” this morning.

“Here we have had more than 200mm of rain but for some parts of the north of Queensland over the past couple of days it has been more than 400mm,” he says.

He says the waters have “leapt incredibly” with the Pascoe River rising from three metres to almost 20 metres yesterday.

“That is going to be part of the story across the north of Queensland where the path of Narelle cut the peninsula in two,” he says.