Live updates, reactions and contributions from ABC readers.
Just nowFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:40am
Katherine’s northern suburbs at risk
Mayor Joanna Holden says no evacuation notices have been issued so far, but residents should be prepared to move if they have to when evacuation centres open.
“At this stage, they are predicting, potentially, inundations in a small number of areas in Katherine, potentially to the north, in the northern areas of Katherine,” she says.
“But again, it’s hard to know – there is a lot of localised flooding at the moment, that we haven’t seen previously, so people, regardless of where they are, just need to be prepared.
“To everybody in Katherine, hang in there, we’ll get there.”
7m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:33am
‘Don’t panic, plan’: Katherine mayor
Meanwhile, Katherine mayor Joanna Holden has urged residents “not to panic, but to prepare and plan for what they will do”.
“Have a plan in place to reduce the stress and to help you recover on the other side, and stay informed by checking SecureNT, the BOM and ABC radio,” she told ABC News Channel.
“Even the ducks have left town, there’s that much water around.”
11m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:29am
Evacuation centres to open later today
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says evacuation centres are not open yet, but anyone who feels unsafe at home should get out.
“The evacuation centres at the moment aren’t open right now, they will be organised to be open this afternoon,” he says.
“So just watch out for that messaging in terms of when they are open.”
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says for anyone who feels unsafe before then, “obviously, make some moves now”.
“If a local resident feels that they need to move from their home, absolutely move into the town centre, and those centres will be open later today,” he says.
15m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:25am
Residents urged not to panic buy
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says critical goods and services will remain available throughout the flooding.
“If we are experiencing or seeing some panic buying at the moment in Katherine, I would urge the Katherine residents, please remain calm,” he says.
“You will always have goods in there, we will away be able to get goods in there with our supply chain that we’ve got at the moment.”
19m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:21am
Water not expected to inundate city centre
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says sandbags will be available from the NT Emergency Service later today.
“What we want is no panic in the community,” he says.
“We do know that water will inundate some localised areas and some low-lying areas of Katherine,but it will not at this time – with the predictions we have from the Bureau – it will not inundate places like the city centre and the major suburbs of Katherine.”
But Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says residents should be prepared to leave “in case that messaging comes out for you to move”.
“It may come up so quickly that we just want everyone to be prepared,” he says.
25m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:15am
Katherine Hospital to be evacuated
NT Health deputy chief executive Cecelia Gore says the Katherine Hospital is “being evacuated and will be closed” and is expected to be cut off by floodwaters.
“We are in the process of establishing a mini emergency department in the St John headquarters in Katherine,” she says.
“It will be operational by lunchtime today.”
Anyone who needs medical attention should call Health Direct on 1800 022 222 or Triple Zero (000) in an emergency .
28m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:12am
Weather system set to bring more heavy rain
Shenagh Gamble from the Bureau of Meteorology says the heavy rain has come from a “a low monsoon trough” across the Top End that moved west from the Gulf of Carpentaria.
“This tropical low 31U remains at the base of the Top End and is still expected to bring rather heavy rainfall over the next 24 to 48 hours,” she says.
Ms Gamble says up to 250mm of rain has fallen at the Dorisvale Crossing, west of Katherine, with Daly River expected to cop much of the run-off in the coming days.
“As those floodwaters move through the Katherine area and down towards Daly, we will see the Daly River at the police station increase over the weekend, and early next week we expect to reach major flood levels,” she says.
37m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:03am
Flood level could reach 18.5m or higher
Regional Controller James O’Brien says he’s asked the chief minister to sign off on an emergency declaration for the Katherine floods.
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says emergency services have surged resources to Katherine, with the flood level expected to peak at 17.5m later today.
“That may go up to 18.5m or higher, however we are looking at inundation flooding mapping and what that actually means for the Katherine region,” he says.
Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says water is expected to move over the Stuart Highway later today, if it hasn’t already.
“If it’s flooded, don’t go in there please,” he says.
44m agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 1:56am
Chief minister to address Katherine flood emergency
Welcome to our live moment, this is Jason Walls with you.
I’ll be bringing you updates throughout the chief minister’s press conference, where Lia Finocchiaro will be joined by Regional Controller James O’Brien and the Bureau of Meteorology’s Shenagh Gamble.
A flood emergency warning is now in place for the Northern Territory town of Katherine, 300km south of Darwin, as river levels across the Top End continue to rise.
Katherine Hospital is being evacuated and will close, NT Health officials have confirmed, while a temporary emergency department is being stood up at the St John Ambulance NT headquarters on Chardon Street.
The Katherine River has now passed the 16 metre “minor flood” threshold and continues to rise, with the NT police regional controller James O’Brien warning it may reach the “major flood” level of 17.5 metres about 2pm this afternoon.
The town of Katherine in the Top End is flooding for the first time in two decades, passing the 16 metre mark at around 11am March 6. (ABC News: James Elton)
“That may go up to 18.5 metres or higher, however we are looking at inundation flooding mapping and what that actually means for the Katherine region,” he said.
“We’re going to have emergency shelter areas available for the community if they need it.
“We do expect some low lying houses within the Katherine region, especially along Gorge road area, and along the Riverbank Drive, Victoria [Highway] to the west of the township centre to have some slight inundation.”
Some Katherine residents had already been caught in floodwaters as the river level surged, he said.
A flood emergency warning is also in place for the nearby community of Beswick, with residents in both areas urged to move to high ground and shelter indoors until the all-clear is given.
When was the last time Katherine flooded?
In 2006, Katherine residents were forced to leave their homes before the river peaked at 19 metres, the worst flooding in the town since 1998.
According to the latest figures, 97.8 millimetres of rain has already fallen at the Tindal Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base in the 24 hours to 9am, with more than 150 millimetres recorded elsewhere in the Katherine region.
Flood warnings have been issued for rivers in the Top End, including emergency warnings for Katherine and Beswick. (ABC News: James Elton)
“Rapid river level rises are occurring along the Seventeen Mile Creek, Birdie Creek, and Katherine River,” the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said in a statement.
“Further rainfall is expected during Friday and higher levels are possible.”
Katherine River at Nitmiluk Centre has now reached major flooding level.
Forecasters say the river is expected to exceed the moderate flood level at Katherine Bridge by this afternoon before possibly reaching the major flood level of 17.5 metres.
The bureau says a peak above the major flood level at Beswick Bridge is likely from this afternoon and the river could reach 9.5 metres.
The Katherine River had risen close to the 16-metre mark within two hours between 7am and 9am on Friday morning. (Supplied: Katherine Town Council)
Possible March record
BOM meteorologist Sally Cutter told ABC Radio Darwin the Katherine region was potentially “looking at March records here” in terms of rainfall as a low pressure system moved over the area.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty as to where this low is going to so one of the models takes it west, the other one takes it east,” she said.
“Probably the best case scenario is the eastward movement one because it means we’re getting some drier air up the western side.
Further rainfall is expected in Katherine today, with river levels ‘rising rapidly’. (ABC News: James Elton)
“[But] even if the low is not forcing this rainfall we’re still going to see the monsoon trough cross near the base of the top end, enhancing this rainfall.
“The ground’s very saturated so everything’s going to run off and all of this rain’s got to work its way down the rivers.”
Sally Cutter and her colleagues at the Bureau of Meteorology are monitoring the situation in Katherine. (ABC News: Tristian Hooft)
Ms Cutter said the bureau’s Katherine weather radar was out of action this morning but would hopefully be up and running later today.
“The parts are meant to be arriving this morning and we’re hoping to get it back online this afternoon,” she said.
Nauiyu/Daly River residents return home after flood evacuation
Incident controller Terry Zhang said emergency services were well prepared, with planning underway for potential evacuations.
“A key component of the [emergency operations centre] work is now on the planning and preparation for the possible scenario of an evacuation,” he said.
Superintendent Zhang said a major flood warning was expected to be issued “very soon” for Daly River to the north-west, where residents only returned to their homes following a previous flood evacuation last weekend.
Roads closed, SES standing by
Katherine’s courthouse and visitor centre have closed as the town braces for potential major flooding, while shoppers were met with long queues and chaotic scenes at the local Woolworths this morning.
There were long lines in Katherine Woolworths as people stocked up on essentials. (Supplied)
Emergency services are urging people not to panic but calmly make plans to get themselves to higher ground and be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours.
Local roads have already been submerged, including those leading to Nitmiluk National Park and RAAF Base Tindal.
Residents went to bed last night with the water level at the Katherine Bridge sitting at around 9 metres, but by 9am this morning, it had passed 15 metres and was still rising fast.
A low pressure system sitting over the Northern Territory on Friday is bringing heavy rain to parts of the Top End. (Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)
SES unit officer Karl Kratschmer said the town had “woken up to a bit of a situation on our hands” as a tropical low passing across the territory had brought heavy rain to the region.
The major flooding levels expected to hit the town later today have not been seen since the last time the town flooded in 2006.
Mr Kratschmer said the SES had three boats “ready to go”, each over 5 metres in length, and volunteers had been standing by since 7am.
“All our members in Katherine are ready to go at a moment’s notice to help the public in their hour of need,” he said.