Typhoon fina is forecast to intensify violently as it approaches the coast of North Australia on the night of November 21 (local time).
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has issued a storm warning for many famous tourist areas such as Darwin, the Tiwi Islands, the Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang, Gunbalanya, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga.
Hurricane fina is forecast to make landfall very late on Friday evening (November 21) or early Saturday morning (November 22, local time), with the possibility of increasing to Category 3 (level of strong hurricane, according to the hurricane scale in Australia) when it makes landfall.
A strong wind warning could affect Darwin from Saturday afternoon, with the risk of gusts of 155 km/h in the area from Cape Don to Warruwi. Heavy rains could bring flash flooding to coastal areas from Tiwi to Warruwi.
The BOM leaves open the possibility of the storm strengthening to level 3 when it enters the Van Diemen Gulf sea area.
Meanwhile, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC) forecasts that fina will reach Category 3 on the evening of November 21 (local time), reducing its intensity to Category 2 after making landfall in the Tiwi Islands and approaching the mainland of Darwin.
The storm is forecast to reach its peak of Category 3, with maximum sustained winds of up to 155 km/h when it returned to Joseph Bonaparte Bay and made a second landfall on the northern coast of Western Australia.
In Darwin, many supermarkets have recorded shopping customers storing bottled water and dried goods, causing many shelves to be empty. Emergency service agencies warn tourists and residents to prepare for strong gusts of wind, heavy rain, high tides and the risk of coastal flooding.
Areas such as Milikapiti, Maningrida, Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang and Warruwi are required to immediately deploy storm response plans, anchor ships and protect property.
Places such as Daly River Mouth, Dundee Beach, Darwin, Batchelor and the entire Tiwi Islands are advised to prepare emergency equipment and continuously update fina forecasts from authorities.
In Darwin, many activities were disrupted: schools in Minjilang, Warruwi, Milikapiti and Pirlangimpi were temporarily closed; Charles Darwin University closed facilities in Darwin; the AFL NT football tournament canceled all weekend matches; ferry services between Darwin, the Philippines and Mandorah were temporarily suspended.
Dangerous high tides are forecast in the Tiwi Islands, Cape Hotham and Warruwi as fina approaches the shore.
People and tourists at Top End have started stocking up on food, as the storm could cause power outages, fallen trees, affecting homes, vehicles and travel. Many weekend tourism and sports events have been canceled.
Heavy rain is expected to increase sharply on Saturday. By the end of Sunday (November 23), the weather in Top End began to improve as fina moved to Western Australia. North Australia is expected to be unaffected by the storm by mid-next week.
People and visitors in Darwin are advised to stay indoors during storms, prepare emergency items and always monitor official information.
The worst storm on record in Darwin was Hurricane Tracy in 1974, which disastrously killed 66 people and devastated much of the city on Christmas Day.
