Cyclone Narelle (2026)

Late on 9 March, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) began to forecast a tropical low forming in the eastern Coral Sea in the next 7 days, and pre-designated it as 34U. This came to fruition six days later on 15 March, where the BOM reported that it had developed to the south of the Solomon Islands. That same day, the low pressure system was officially designated a tropical low. Later on the system temporarily tracked to the west at a slow pace, and then preceded to quickly dip to the south. Only a single day after the disturbance formed, it was observed by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center while still classified as a tropical low by the BOM. On 17 March, the BOM classified the tropical low as a Category 1 tropical cyclone near Papua New Guinea, assigning it the name Narelle. The tropical cyclone preceded to intensify at a moderate pace, later becoming hurricane force on 18 March. Narelle started to accellerate towards the Australian state of Queensland at an unusually fast pace of . Later on 18 March, Narelle was officially tagged a severe tropical cyclone by the BoM, officially becoming the sixth one in the season. The next day on 19 March, Narelle reached Category 5 intensity, surpassing Fina as the strongest storm of the season. on 26 March near its fourth peak intensity, displaying its large structure At 03:30 local time on 22 March 2026, Narelle made its secondary landfall near Point Arrowsmith, East Arnhem. The next day, the Bureau of Meteorology stopped tracking the cyclone, and it dissipated shortly later. == Preparations ==

visual satellite loop of Narelle approaching Queensland throughout the afternoon to evening of 19 March|right|275x375px In response to the approach of Narelle, from Bureau of Meteorology, the Queensland State Emergency Service, in coordination with the Australian Defence Force, initiated a massive logistical operation to pre-position food, medical supplies, and satellite communication across the Cape York Peninsula; additionally, tourists were evacuated and schools were closed ahead of the cyclone. A pre-emptive evacuation of 500 residents from Numbulwar to Darwin remained in place for several days due to local inundation and the risk of waterborne disease. Emergency warnings were issued for Coen, Lockhart River, and Port Stewart. A tropical cyclone warning was issued in between Lockhart River and Cape Tribulation. Hundreds were evacuated from Port Stewart and Numbulwar. Bauxite mines owned by Rio Tinto in Queensland and manganese mines owned by South32 and Anglo American in the Northern Territory were closed temporarily. In Katherine, a field hospital was set up in preparation for Narelle. == Impact ==

Queensland Ergon Energy estimated that 3,000 properties lost power due to strong winds from Narelle. Telstra reported that four cell sites had been knocked offline by Narelle. Around of rain fell over the Cape York Peninsula and northern Northern Territory, while wind gusts up to were recorded in Lockhart River. In Aurukun, a barbecue shelter was damaged by a fallen tree. Cairns reported significant coastal erosion from Narelle. As the system made its fourth landfall, it caused extensive damage and flooding in the town of Exmouth, including extensive damage to the town's airport, and several structures in the town. In the Exmouth region, infrastructure to Chevron Corporation and Woodside Energy facilities was damaged, pausing gasoline production. A mobile hospital was deployed to aid animals near Exmouth. Banana farms in Carnarvon had to cease production for the rest the year after Narelle's impact due to damages caused by Cyclone Mitchell and a preceding heat wave. Moisture from the decaying system later interacted with a coastal trough system as it moved down Western Australia causing flooding in Mandurah after the city received in 24 hours. Perth also got the most March rainfall the city has seen in 91 years (since 1934) while the city's 24-hour March record, set during the 2010 Western Australian storms, was also broken with falling. Aon estimated that losses from Narelle totaled to US$500 million. == Aftermath ==

The Australian Defence Force was deployed to Katherine. Narelle damaged Ningaloo Reef's first spawn since a significant heat wave the previous year. == See also ==