Tropical Cyclone Grant strengthened to a category 2 storm on Sunday as residents in remote areas in Australia’s Top End were told to take shelter.
The cyclone was slowly intensifying and at 6.30pm (CST) on Sunday was 10km east-southeast of Croker Island, 240km northeast of Darwin.
It was moving south-southeast at 5km/h, packing winds of about 130km/h near its centre.
If it maintained that course it would cross the coast again east of Point Stuart, at least 80km east of Darwin.
Chris Davies, senior forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology in Darwin, said Grant is expected to move south across the Cobourg Peninsula on Sunday night and into the Van Diemen Gulf early on Monday.
Forecasters had previously thought the storm would be downgraded to a category 1 as it crossed over land, but they are no longer expecting that.
“It’s crossing a fairly narrow part of the Coburn Peninsula tonight so it won’t be enough to drop it back to a Category 1 on Sunday,” Mr Davies said.
“It probably won’t have as much interaction with the land as we were originally expecting so it will hold itself together a bit better.”
Around lunchtime on Monday it is then expected to cross the coast once more, just east of Point Stuart.
Gusts of 130km/h have hit the Cobourg Peninsula, including Croker Island, with gales of 110km/h expected over areas west of Maningrida to Melville Island, including Cape Don and Goulburn Island.
“Coastal residents between Cape Don and Goulburn Island are specifically warned of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast,” the bureau said on Sunday.
“Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide, with damaging waves and dangerous flooding.”
Mr Davies said close to the centre of the storm, 150mm to 200mm of rain may have fallen since 3pm.
The storm is predicted to hit the coast between Cape Fourcroy and Milingimbi, including the rest of the Tiwi Islands, on Sunday night and to Point Stuart on Monday.
Localised flooding over the northern Darwin-Daly, Arnhem and northern Roper-McArthur Districts are also expected.
People living west of Maningrida to the Tiwi islands, including Cape Don, Croker Island and Goulburn Island, are being told to take shelter now.
A cyclone warning is current for coastal areas from Dundee Beach to Milingimbi including the Tiwi Islands, Darwin and inland to Jabiru and Oenpelli.
A cyclone watch continues for coastal areas from Milingimbi to Nhulunbuy.
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