Tropical Cyclone Fina has intensified and is now a severe category 3 system. Wind and rain are now building across the Top End, as Tropical Cyclone Fina moved towards the south-west and towards Darwin. The radar shows that Tropical Cyclone Fina crossed the Cobourg Peninsula early on Saturday morning before moving into the Van Diemen Gulf and intensifying into that severe category 3 system. The radar very clearly shows wind and rain wrapping clockwise into the centre of the tropical cyclone. Rainfall totals really building along the north coast, but through the rest of Saturday morning will further build across areas inland and up towards Darwin as well.

So Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina is now a category 3 system, around 120 km/h towards the north-east of Darwin, and is moving in a south-westerly direction. It is producing sustained winds up to 120 km/h, and wind gusts of up to 165 km/h.

So let's have a closer look at that warning zone. That extends all the way from Cape Don in the north and down towards the Daly River mouth in the south. And this includes Darwin and the Tiwi Islands, and extends inland towards Batchelor. We have cancelled the warning for areas further east, including for Warruwi. And within that warning zone we are expecting to see gale to damaging to destructive winds intensifying through Saturday. We could even see very destructive winds of up to 185 km/h across southern parts of the Tiwi Islands, but that will depend on how Tropical Cyclone Fina does move through the rest of the day.

There is also a watch zone that extends from the Daly River mouth in the north and down towards Wadeye in the south, and in this area we could see gale force winds within the next 24 to 48 hours. And this tropical cyclone warning and watch zone is being updated regularly, now on an hourly basis, so do make sure you have the latest information no matter where you are.

So having a look at the latest track map, we can see Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina as a category 3 system moving down towards the south-west through the rest of Saturday. And by Saturday evening it is expected to make its closest approach towards Darwin. And this is where we could see the worst of the wind and also the rain across the city. This will continue through the rest of Saturday night and into Sunday morning, as it maintains severe category 3 strength, then moving into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf later on Sunday. And by late Monday or Tuesday morning, it is expected to lie just off the northern Kimberley coast.

We also have Marine Warnings out for coastal communities. That is for gale force to storm force winds along the coast, but through the rest of the day tide times will be quite critical. The next low tide is due just after 1:00 pm local time, but the next high tide will come through around about 8:00 pm. And that is where we are expecting to see the tropical cyclone make its closest approach towards Darwin. So at the high tide, we can expect to see large waves as well as possible inundation of low-lying areas.

And it has been more than seven years since Darwin was impacted by Tropical Cyclone Marcus, but it is still worth having a look at what impacts could be possible. First, with damaging to destructive winds, we are likely to see damage to trees as well as property, as well as vehicles, as powerlines might also be toppled, and that could cause disruptions to utilities. Heavy to intense rainfall could produce flash flooding around urban areas, as well as riverine flooding for areas away from towns and cities. And on that high tide particularly, we could see dangerous coastal conditions. Another high tide is expected on Sunday evening.

So what have we seen so far? Looking at the latest rainfall totals, we have seen more than 100 mm and even up to 200 mm of rainfall across coastal areas. But rainfall is really starting to build across the Darwin area, 20 mm to 8:00 am, but we are expecting those totals to really ramp up through the rest of the day. Winds are also increasing. We have seen wind gusts of between 80 and even 90 km/h, reaching up to 100 km/h in some locations and again, through Darwin wind speeds are also increasing there.

And so, having a look at the latest model, you can see this tropical cyclone moving down towards the south-west as we head into Saturday night and Sunday morning, and then moving down towards the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and towards the northern part of the Kimberley. So if you are in the Kimberley, do keep up to date with the latest forecasts and track maps, as we have a little bit more confidence about where the cyclone will move as we head into the early part of next week. And we can see that here from Monday morning, gradually moving towards the north coast of the Kimberley, but still a range of scenarios possible, whether it starts to make landfall across the northern Kimberley coast or remains a little further north and over open waters.

So now, having a look at the rainfall map, as you would expect, we are expecting to see the highest rainfall totals right near the centre of the cyclone. Out to Monday night, we could see rainfall totals of more than 300 mm in this dark shaded area here. That does include Darwin, and even further out we could also see rainfall totals up to 50 to 100 mm. And we do have a number of Flood Watches current across western parts of the Top End.

And with Tropical Cyclone Fina now making its approach towards Darwin, it is important that you have the latest information for you and your family. You can get this on our website and our app, follow us on social media and as always, follow all advice and direction from your local emergency services.