Country: Australia Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Tropical cyclone NARELLE made landfall over the coastal area of the Archer River town (eastern Cape York peninsula, far northern Queensland) on 19 March late evening (UTC), with maximum sustained winds up to 222 km/h (equivalent to a cat. 4 hurricane in the Saffir-Simpson scale). On 20 March at 6.00 UTC, its centre was located inland (central Cape York peninsula), with maximum sustained winds of 114 km/h (tropical storm). After its passage over far northern Queensland, media report evacuated people in community centres and shelters and structural damage. In the Northern Territory, in Numbulwar town area, media report hundreds of preventively evacuated people. NARELLE is expected to continue moving west over the Carpentaria Gulf, restrengthening, and to make second landfall over the north-eastern Northern Territory (north of Numbulwar) on 21 March early afternoon, with maximum sustained winds up to 155 km/h (tropical cyclone). Over the next 5 days, very heavy rainfall, strong winds and storm surges are forecast. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a warning zone over the western Cape York Peninsula and north-eastern Northern Territory.