Australia’s Northern Territory braces for Tropical Cyclone Fina

Residents of Australia’s Northern Territory region are being advised to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Fina, which is expected to cause severe winds and flooding in Darwin.

The remote Tiwi Islands and Cape Hotham, which are both in the Van Diemen Gulf, were to be hit on Saturday afternoon by Fina, a Category 3 cyclone traveling at a speed of 102 miles per hour (102 kilometers per hour), according to the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia.

The Northern Territory’s capital Darwin, where it is known as a “severe tropical cyclone,” would then likely pass on Saturday.

It is anticipated to make its closest approach to Darwin by Saturday night. The bureau reported that this is where the worst of the city’s wind and rain could pour.

It urged people to “immediately begin or continue preparations, especially securing boats and property.”

This evening, a Category 3 system will pass through Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina just north of Darwin. In Darwin, forecast for a quick increase in winds in the afternoon and evening.

Current: 12: 41 pm CST Saturday 22 November 2025

The most recent track map is https://t.co/tEt0sJOHXK pic. twitter.com/j217fVQROA

Darwin, which has a population of about 140, 000 people, is expected to experience widespread heavy rainfall and damaging-to-locally destructive winds, according to Weather Bureau senior meteorologist Dean Narramore.

He told the ABC broadcaster, “Staying over water means that it’s likely to keep its intensity.”

The incident controller for the Northern Territory Emergency Operations Centre, Kirsten Engels, urged residents of the affected areas to make emergency plans for their homes and relocate to nearby public shelters if necessary.

“We’re prepared, but the situation is serious,” he said. She told the ABC that the winds and rain are already picking up in Darwin and the Tiwi Islands.

In one of Australia’s worst natural disasters, Cyclone Tracy, which destroyed much of the city on Christmas Day 1974, killing 71 people, brings up painful memories of the warning for Darwin.