The Katherine River is predicted to rise again, with the weather bureau forecasting likely minor flooding at Katherine Bridge from Tuesday morning and the river potentially again reaching the major flood level within about 24 hours.
NT authorities are providing an update on potential further flooding.
2m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 2:15am
Adelaide River peaks, Nauiyu / Daly River to stay under water
The BOM’s Todd Smith says Adelaide River peaked yesterday morning just below the 12.7-metre major flood level.
“The river has come down a lot yesterday and overnight, that’s well below the minor flood level now,” he says.
“We’ve cancelled the warning for the Adelaide River township, however … there’s still a warning out for the lower part of the Adelaide River because there’s a lot of water flowing down through the system there.”
He says the Daly River has “seen some renewed rises” since residents were evacuated earlier this month.
Levels at the Daly River Police Station are “currently around 14.5 metres, rising slightly”.
“We’re not expecting the height there to get anywhere near what it did earlier in the month,” he says.
“However, this extra rain is really going to prolong that flood event so that river is going to stay above major for another week at this stage.”
8m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 2:09am
Katherine River to stay swollen until Thursday
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesperson Todd Smith says ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle “is no longer going to worry the Territory” and current rainfall totals are looking more normal for this time of year.
In Beswick, flooding at the Waterhouse River peaked “just below the major flood warning level of 8.7 metres last night” but Mr Smith says the water is now starting to recede.
He says floodwater is still moving down the Roper and Katherine river systems, triggering BOM’s new warnings this morning.
The Katherine River is likely to swell in size again. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
He says the Katherine River “will stay up for quite a while”, with levels at the town bridge expected to swell to around the major flood level from late tomorrow morning.
Mr Smith says the riverine flooding is expected to continue impacting Katherine Bridge “right through until Thursday morning”.
“After that, we expect that river to start to come back down again, because of the lack of rainfall,” he says.
Find all the latest weather warnings and alerts on the BOM website.
20m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:58am
Emergency services warn hazards can ‘change regularly’
NT Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Andrew Warton says local and interstate volunteers are manning the phones to triage calls for help — if you need flood or storm assistance, you can ring 132 500.
“There’s been multiple other interstate contingents that have joined us over the past weeks, indeed months, and I want to personally thank them for all of their efforts and for coming to assist us in the Territory,” he says.
“I also want to assure them that we’ll be there for you when the time arises in the future.”
Commissioner Warton outlined the warnings currently in place, noting they are subject to updates as the weather shifts:
Flood emergency warning for the Waterhouse RiverFlood emergency warning for the Daly RiverFlood emergency warning for the Adelaide RiverA watch and act for the Katherine River, which he reiterated may “change regularly and repeatedly”
25m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:53am
Police urge vigilance as flood threat continues
NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole says Territorians need to remain alert as flood fatigue sets in.
“We’ve got river systems still rising across the Territory, [with] real impacts expected,” he says.
“The Katherine River is continuing to rise and is expected to reach or to push into moderate and major flood levels.”
He says the Waterhouse River at Beswick has peaked at the moderate flood level and waters are “expected to remain high”.
Commissioner Dole says authorities have started repatriating Numbulwar flood evacuees, which will continue over the coming days.
“But don’t mistake this progress for the end of this event,” he warns.
“We are still in it.
“River levels are moving, conditions can change quickly, and we ask you to remain alert … please don’t take risks.”
30m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:47am
Boil water alert remains in place
Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley says a boil water alert remains in place for several areas.
“Batchelor and Adelaide River have been included in the area, but of course, Jilkminggan, Palumpa, Umbakumba, Yirrkala, [and] Numbulwar are already under that warning,” he says.
“So if you do have water and you’re [in] one of those communities, please boil the water and make sure you don’t get sick.”
These alerts are nothing new for the Top End, with residents in the capital Darwin alsohaving to boil water as a precaution earlier this month.
35m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:42am
Lia Finocchiaro says major flooding possible
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro is speaking first.
She says “every single day remains unpredictable” this wet season.
“People do need to, really carefully, be monitoring the Bureau [of Meteorology] and Secure NT,” she says.
Mrs Finocchiaro says there are a number of weather alerts current for:
Waterhouse RiverRoper RiverUpper Adelaide and Adelaide riversKatherine River
“We’re expecting the Nitmiluk Centre to exceed that major flood level late this afternoon, and Katherine River has a major flood warning as well,” she says.
“At this stage, [at] Katherine Bridge, there is a chance that will reach that major flood level by tomorrow morning.”
42m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:35am
Katherine River could flood again in next 24 hours
The Bureau of Meteorology has a number of flood warnings in place this morning, covering the Waterhouse, Roper, Katherine, Adelaide and Daly rivers.
The forecast says “moderate to heavy rainfall associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle since Sunday has caused significant river level rises along the Katherine River and its tributaries”.
The Katherine River could reach major flood levels at Nitmiluk this afternoon, while major flooding is also possible at Katherine Bridge from Wednesday morning.
The town is facing an anxious wait, having already seen its worst flooding in 28 years earlier this month.
47m agoTue 24 Mar 2026 at 1:30am
Thanks for joining our live moment
Welcome to our live coverage, thanks for tuning in.
We’re about to hear from NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and her deputy Gerard Maley, NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole, NT Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Andrew Warton, Power and Water Corporation chief executive Djuna Pollard and Todd Smith from the Bureau of Meteorology.
They will be providing an update on the ongoing weather event, including the latest forecast details and predictions Katherine River could flood again in the coming days.
There have been daily press conferences through the severe weather event, updating the media and members of the public. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
The Bureau of Metereology (BOM) said ongoing wet weather from the weekend “has caused significant river level rises along the Katherine River and its tributaries”, including near Birdie Creek where “river levels have exceeded the early March 2026 peak”.
Moderate riverine flooding was occurring Nitmiluk Centre this morning and BOM said it could rise to the major level “as upstream flows continue to arrive”.
The Stuart Highway has been smashed by flooding, with several sections damaged this month. (Supplied: Josh Barnes)
“Downstream at Katherine Bridge, minor flooding is likely from Tuesday morning, with further rises to the moderate flood level possible from overnight Tuesday,” the bureau said on Tuesday morning.
“The river level may reach the major flood level late Wednesday morning.”
BOM also has major flood warnings active today for the Roper, Waterhouse, Daly and Adelaide river systems, all of which have swollen in size and inundated buildings this month.
Katherine River could reach moderate and major flood levels in the next 24 hours. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle moved over the Western Australian border on Monday, but Territorians hope extra showers and thunderstorms forecast for the Top End in the coming days will not wreak further havoc.
Flood-affected Territorian warns of ‘climate disruption’
Adelaide River, a small town more than an hour south of Darwin, copped some of the most rain from the former cyclone — downgraded to a tropical low over the weekend — as it moved over the NT.
Access to electricity and drinking water was cut in Adelaide River yesterday, with a boil water alert still active for the town and a number of remote NT communities.Â
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle dumped significant rain over parts of the NT, damaging homes in Adelaide River. (Supplied: David Croft)
“A boil water alert is still in place for Umbakumba, Angurugu, Milyakburra, Numbulwar, Yirrkala, Gunyangara, Jilkminggan and Palumpa,” NT Health said.
Floodwater inundated a handful of Adelaide River homes on Monday, including one property the owner said had been equipped with flood mitigation after an earlier natural disaster.
David Croft said his house flooded in 2007, so he built a wall around it to try to protect it from future severe weather events.
David Croft said floodwater spilled over the wall he’d built to protect his Adelaide River home. (Supplied: David Croft)
“And it topped that level by about 10 centimetres,” he said of the recent deluge.
“The bureau had forecast about 100mm of rain, but we had about 280mm here.”
He said the house was “now full of silt” and several of his uninsured belongings, including furniture and books, had “been drowned”.
Mr Croft said the house, which is located on the Adelaide River flood plain, used to be protected but had since “been put on a refused insurance list”.
“It’s very difficult to get insurance, and we’ll just move our belongings up to another place and start again,” he said.
Loading…
He was worried about how frequently the NT had been hit by severe weather — the ex-cyclone marks the seventh event this wet season — and called on the government to do more to tackle climate change.
“I think we’ve disrupted a liveable climate,” he said.Â
“I call it climate disruption because ‘change’ sounds too benign for what’s happening now, and it’s about time we did something about it.
“But unfortunately, at [the age of] 75 now, I don’t expect to see any action.”
Residents hoping for the best
Adelaide River resident Lloyd Beck rescued one of his neighbours using his dinghy to navigate rising floodwater on Monday morning.
Flooding at Adelaide River. (Supplied: Andrew Roberts)
“They were stuck in their house and couldn’t get out by car, so I went and picked them up and brought them to the other side of town to stay with friends,” he said.
“They had about a foot to go before water started running inside their house — it’s on small stilts — but their vehicle and all their gear has gone underwater.”
He shared Mr Croft’s concern about what the extra rain could mean for already-sodden Top End catchments and said he hoped Adelaide River did not get too much more this wet season.
There was a similar sentiment in remote communities like Beswick/Wugularr, Daly River/Nauiyu and Palumpa/Nganmarriyanga, where some have evacuated due to still-high floodwater and buildings have been inundated.
Fleur Parry, who runs Djilpin Arts in Beswick but has been isolated in Katherine due to floods, said residents were miserable and disappointed.
“They have all been living at the school, which is on high ground, for several weeks now,” she said.
“They can’t get back home because the cleaning and power restoration has been delayed by this new event, which seems to be going on and on.”
Hundreds of sandbags have been filled in hopes of protecting homes and businesses in Katherine. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
She spent some of the weekend sandbagging the art centre’s Katherine office, doing everything possible to limit potential damage.
“We lifted up everything as high as we could, and now we just hope for the best,” she said.
Floods close roads, prolong evacuations
Ms Parry is one of many Territorians displaced by flooding, with whole communities evacuated and major road networks cut.
A number of sections along the Stuart Highway have again shut due to flood damage — you can track the road closures here.
The recent wet weather triggered several road closures, including along part of the Stuart Highway near Katherine. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said flood evacuees from two communities, including Numbulwar, remained in Darwin this week.
“Palumpa was moved out to the Batchelor education unit a day or so ago, which is great — it’s much more appropriate [for] longer-term evacuation,” she said yesterday.
The ADF has been helping the Top End recover from recent floods. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
She said Daly River/Nauiyu evacuees would also be moved out to the Batchelor facility “within the next day or so”.
However Labor’s representative for Daly, Dheran Young, has criticised the NT government for changing the timeline for the evacuated residents — who have spent several weeks already this year displaced due to extreme weather.
“It has been disappointing from the CLP government: the change in messaging, when people will be moving to Batchelor,” he said.
“Right now, people from remote communities in evacuation centres don’t have any agency over their life and it echoes the days of our people from the Stolen Generations.”
Dheran Young says remote Territorians deserve answers about the timeline for their anticipated return home. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
Children and Families Minister Robyn Cahill, whose department is responsible for the centres, later told ABC Radio Darwin Mr Young’s comments were disrespectful to staff.
“That was probably one of the most outrageous, offensive comments I’ve heard ever come from any political representative,” she said.
“There were some people who elected not to be evacuated, so there’s the first rebuttal against his claim that there was no agency for these people.”