CANBERRA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Residents of the Australian city of Darwin have been told to prepare to enact emergency plans as Tropical Cyclone Fina approaches the Northern Territory (NT) and is believed to grow in strength.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Friday that the cyclone, currently a category 1 cyclone, is moving slowly south-southwest and is expected to strengthen to a category 2 system whilst tracking southwest during the day.
It said the storm is approaching the Cobourg Peninsula, the northernmost point of the mainland NT, about 200 km northeast of Darwin, and the Tiwi Islands and will move over the area on Friday night, before continuing southwest through the Van Diemen Gulf on Saturday.
Fina is forecast to further intensify to a severe tropical cyclone on Sunday afternoon in the southern Timor Sea. There continues to remain a chance that it could reach category 3 intensity earlier, during late Friday or early Saturday, as it moves into the Van Diemen Gulf, the bureau added.
A cyclone warning issued by the BoM said that the storm may bring wind gusts of up to 155 km per hour and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding in Darwin, the Tiwi Islands and Cobourg Peninsula.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon, NT Emergency Service chief officer Wayne Snell said that there are currently no plans to evacuate any communities in the NT due to Fina, but that residents of the Greater Darwin area should enact their emergency plan and be prepared to look after themselves for the next three days. ■
