The cyclone made its first landfall in Australia as a powerful Category 4 storm. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Hurricane season starts in June.

Cyclone Narelle could bring wind gusts of up to 285km/h, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Residents in Queensland and the Northern Territory have been urged to stay alert. Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to bring severe impact to Far North Queensland on Friday,

Updated hurricane cone maps highlight inland watches and warnings to show storm impacts beyond the forecast cone track.

About 500 people are due to be evacuated from a community in the Northern Territory and flown to Darwin as locals brace for Tropical Cyclone Narelle to cross the coast.

A fast-moving low pressure system tracking toward the Far North coast is a high chance of forming into a cyclone, with the Bureau feeling “confident” about its forecast path.

Coastal communities are bracing for winds of up to 285kmh as Tropical Cyclone Narelle bears down on the Northern Territory.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make a second landfall over the Northern Territory this weekend after causing severe impacts in northern Qld on Friday.

Communities in the Northern Territory are bracing as TC Narelle hurtles through the Gulf of Carpentaria and is forecast to intensify in the warm waters to a category 3 storm.