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This morning, Tropical Cyclone Narelle is set to cross the coast as a Category 4 or 5 storm, between Lockhart River and Cape Melville in Far North Queensland.
Compact and powerful, Narelle will bring severe winds and surging storm tides. For those in its path, it’s too late to evacuate. They should reinforce homes and secure emergency supplies.
Narelle brings echoes of Cyclone Larry, which hit northeast Queensland exactly 20 years ago and wiped out most of Australia’s banana crop. As Steve Turton writes, both storms followed predictable paths towards the coast – a rarity in the Coral Sea, which is known for erratic cyclone behaviour.
As Narelle tracks westward across the Top End in the coming days, we will watch and update you as needed.
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Miki Perkins
Environment & Energy Editor
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Steve Turton, CQUniversity Australia
Cyclone Narelle is expected to cross the Queensland coast on Friday morning. It has followed a predictable westward path, which is highly unusual.
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We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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