As it approached Queensland, the storm intensified to a category 5 on Australia\u2019s tropical cyclone scale<\/a> with maximum sustained winds up to 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour\u2014equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale<\/a>. However, because Narelle\u2019s structure was compact by cyclone standards, the most damaging winds extended a relatively short distance<\/a> from its core. Narelle reached the Cape York Peninsula, a sparsely populated region in northern Queensland, on the morning of March 20.<\/p>\n Narelle re-emerged over the Gulf of Carpentaria as a weakened cyclone, and wind speeds continued to decline as it neared the Northern Territory\u2019s coast. The storm made its second landfall<\/a> on the afternoon of March 21 with maximum sustained winds up to 148 kilometers (92 miles) per hour. It traversed the territory\u2019s \u201cTop End<\/a>\u201d until March 22.\u00a0<\/p>\n More than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain fell across a wide area of the Northern Territory during Narelle\u2019s passage, according to news reports<\/a>. Australia\u2019s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned<\/a> of minor to major flooding of several rivers. The storm arrived amid a severe wet season<\/a> in the region that had already caused damaging floods and prompted evacuations.<\/p>\n After exiting the Northern Territory, the storm briefly crossed water and reached the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia as a tropical low on March 23. Even after Narelle\u2019s multiple strikes in northern Australia, the storm may keep going. On March 23, the BOM said<\/a> Narelle could potentially re-intensify into a tropical cyclone off the coast of Western Australia, curve south, and track along the coastline toward Perth.<\/p>\n Cyclones with several landfalls on mainland Australia are rare but not unheard of. In 2005, Ingrid<\/a> followed a similar path to Narelle. That \u201ctriple-strike\u201d storm, however, made landfall each time as a category 3 tropical cyclone or higher.<\/p>\n NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS data\u00a0from NASA\u00a0EOSDIS LANCE<\/a>,\u00a0GIBS\/Worldview<\/a>, and the\u00a0Joint Polar Satellite System<\/a>\u00a0(JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2026, March 17) Cyclone Narelle could be the first storm in 21 years to make landfall three times<\/a>. Accessed March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n Bureau of Meteorology, via YouTube (2026, March 23) Severe Weather Update 23 March 2026: Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle impacting WA this week<\/a>. Accessed March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n The Conversation (2026, March 19) Cyclone Narelle: \u2018compact\u2019, dangerous and unusually predictable<\/a>. Accessed March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n The Guardian (2026, March 22) Saturated NT braces for Tropical Cyclone Narelle to dump another 300mm of rain<\/a>. Accessed March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n The New York Times (2026, March 19) Remote Part of Australia Braces for \u2018Significant\u2019 Tropical System<\/a>. Accessed March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aus_narelle_vir2_20260319_lrg.jpg\")
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