Tropical Cyclone Ellie becomes first of the season to cross coast

Posted by
Check your BMI

Tropical Cyclone Ellie has crossed the Australian coastline in the Northern Territory overnight.

The Category 1 storm, the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in the 2022-23 season, crossed the coast around 11pm local time (1am AEDT) approximately 170 kilometres southwest of Darwin, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)

Along with heavy rainfall, there were 75km/hr sustained winds near the centre of the cyclone and gusts of up to 100km/hr.

READ MORE: WA teen survives brush with shark at a Mandurah beach

Tropical Cyclone Ellie crosses the NT coast, radar December 23, 2022

toonsbymoonlight

Gales with gusts of up to 110km/hr are occurring between Dundee Beach and south to Wadeye. The BoM warns this may extend inland to Daly River (Nauiyu) and Peppimenarti during Friday morning.

The WA border area across to south of Wadeye is forecast to see gusts to 90km/hr.

READ MORE: Heavy rain floods home, damaging presents as wild weather hits Victoria

The bureau warns that tides will be higher than normal between Dundee Beach and Wyndham, while large waves could produce minor flooding in low-lying coastal areas.

Tropical Cyclone Ellie is bringing heavy rain over the Daly district, which is likely to extend into the Gregory and east Kimberley districts on Friday.

Severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts are also possible across the day, before the Category 1 storm dissipates into a Tropical Low system in the afternoon.

Tropical Cyclone Ellie is expected to track southwards across the southern Daly District inland from the coast across Friday and will continue to track southwards near the WA/NT border across the weekend as ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie.

Tropical Cyclone Darian became the first tropical cyclone of the 2022-23 season last week, when it formed off the country's west coast but never crossed onto the mainland.

For the latest Bureau of Meteorology Tropical Cyclone warnings check here.



Source: 9News