Category three system approaches Darwin

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“We’re ready, we’re ready, and we’re in this together.”

As the wind and rain intensified in Darwin, palm leaves flew to the ground, a tree fell on a car and power outages were reported in some areas.

A cyclone warning area was in place from Darwin, the Daly River Estuary to Cape Don, including the Tiwi Islands, Dundee Beach, Milikapiti, Pirlangimpi and Wurrumiyanga.

At 1pm Darwin time, winds were blowing at 140km/h near the center of Fina, with gusts reaching up to 195km/h. It was tracking 75 km north-northeast of Darwin.

“Very destructive winds are expected in exposed coastal areas north-east of Darwin today, but the risk in Darwin is assessed as low,” the weather bureau said.

The city can still withstand destructive and damaging winds.

Heavy rains could cause flash flooding in coastal areas between the Tiwi Islands and Warruwi on Saturday and Sunday, extending to the Western Top End, including Darwin.

Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said winds in the 150 to 180 km/h category would be near the center of the cyclone and winds could reach up to 120 km/h in Darwin.

These wind forces would “easily cause property damage and knock down trees and power lines,” he told ABC News.

Some island areas received 200mm of rain in 24 hours, and similar falls were expected in the Darwin region.

Mr Narramore said impacts depended largely on Fina’s exact track and intensity.

“If it moves a little further north there will be less impact for Darwin and more impact for Tiwi,” he said.

“But if it swings a little further south this afternoon, we could see more impact in Darwin.”

Tiwi Islands Regional Council office co-ordinator Alice Williams in Milikapiti, near the northernmost point of the territory, told AAP that winds had picked up and some people were “a bit worried”.

He said the sirens were ready to go on, so the public knew the weather was getting worse and it was time to take shelter.

The community of about 500 people had plenty of food, water and fuel, and two police officers were on hand to help.

Ms. Williams said people moved into public shelters at the municipal office and primary school on Friday evening, while others chose to stay in homes deemed safe.

As wind and rain pick up in Darwin, most businesses, including major supermarkets, are closed.

Conditions will ease in the Top End late Sunday as the system moves into Western Australia.

Cyclone Tracy was the most destructive system to hit Darwin, killing 66 people on Christmas Day 1974.