According to the latest storm news, storm Narelle is about 600 km northeast of Cairns, Australia, and has moved southwest at a speed of 24 km/h in the past 6 hours. The maximum wave height is 8.5 meters near the storm center.
Australian authorities warn that Hurricane Narelle could become the strongest storm in the memory of many locals, with extreme impacts from strong winds, heavy rain to high tides.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the low pressure area formed in the Coral Sea has strengthened into a storm and is moving westward. Storm forecasts show that Hurricane Narelle could reach Category 4 when it makes landfall on Friday, even increasing to Category 5 - a super typhoon level right before entering the mainland.
Weather forecast models warn that gusts can reach 250 km/h. Common rainfall is 200-450 mm, accompanied by the risk of flash floods and widespread flooding. High tides may reach their highest level this year.
From Thursday evening, the area from Cape Melville to Port Douglas is forecast to begin to experience heavy rain, triggering an emergency flood warning. Some localities such as Port Stewart, Cooktown and Lizard Island have evacuated, and hundreds of rescuers have been dispatched to the area.
Australian authorities emphasized that this is a dangerous storm situation that is developing rapidly. People and tourists are required to be ready to respond to strong winds, big waves, extreme rain and flooding.
Notably, according to the latest assessment, Hurricane Narelle is likely to maintain its structure when going deep inland, then move out to Carpentaria Bay in the weekend, before it can continue to head towards northern Australia.
For tourists who are or plan to visit Queensland, especially the northern regions such as Cairns or Cape York, it is necessary to closely follow the latest storm forecasts, limit travel and comply with local authorities' instructions. Cairns Airport is currently still operating but may close if weather conditions worsen.
In the context of climate change causing extreme weather events to increase, strong storms like Narelle are becoming a major risk to the regional tourism industry, especially during peak seasons.
