Cyclone brewing with northern Australia on flood watch

Northern Australia is battening down the hatches as the weather bureau warns intensifying activity in the Coral Sea will likely result in the formation of Cyclone Kirrily.

While the cyclone won't be officially named until it is properly formed, the Bureau of Meteorology expects Kirrily to develop off the Queensland coast by Monday.

A coastal impact with Queensland is now considered more likely than not, but there still remains some uncertainty in the movement of the system.

The most likely area of impact is between Cairns and Mackay, probably south of Townsville.

"By the time we get into Monday afternoon we're going to be pretty close to tropical cyclone intensity," senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said.

The cyclone is expected to track south-westerly and gain strength as the week continues, possibly becoming category 3 before it reaches the coast.

On Saturday, residents celebrated the reopening of the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns to Port Douglas, which was closed after Cyclone Jasper struck a month ago.

In the Northern Territory, a flood watch and multiple flood warnings are current for the northwest and some central districts, where many communities have already been evacuated.

On Sunday afternoon residents of Kalkarindji were warned they may become isolated as the Victoria River rose significantly.

Some catchments along the river had received up to 370mm of rain in three days.

"River levels in the lower Victoria catchment approaching 1991 record flooding," the bureau warned.

Heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding was likely to continue through the central inland, extending west towards the WA border on Sunday and reaching the Pilbara on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A fallen tree in the rain
Residents in parts of the NT and WA are being warned of more expected severe weather.

Residents in parts of Kimberley and North Interior districts were told to get ready for severe weather due on Sunday afternoon.

Locations which may be affected include Halls Creek, Balgo, Lake Argyle and Warmun.

Severe weather was forecast to develop over the eastern Kimberley and northern parts of the North Interior districts on Sunday night and Monday morning with scattered six-hourly rainfall totals between 90 to 150mm likely.

A flood watch was in place for East and West Kimberley and Fitzroy Rivers, Sandey Desert and Sturt Creek District.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store