Cyclone Ingrid has regained Cat-4 Strength over the Gulf of Carpentaria and
is heading on a WNW track which is going to brush the coasts of Arnhem Land
in the Northern Territories over the next 6-9 hrs.

The cyclone has been upgraded to a category four and is located over the
Gulf of Carpentaria, 220 kilometres east of Nhulunbuy.

The weather bureau says destructive winds with gusts of up to 220 kilometres
an hour are expected on the coast near Nhulunbuy within the next two hours.

About 200 people are at the main cyclone shelter in the Nhulunbuy Hospital.

Most of the people at the shelter are from outlying Aboriginal communities.

It is moving west-north-west at 15 kilometres-per-hour.

A cyclone warning is in place between Maningrida and Groote Eylandt,
including Nhulunbuy.

A cyclone watch is current west to Darwin, including the Tiwi Islands.

Ingrid is forecast by at least two computer models to Skirt the coast before
turning SW off of Darwin. It is quite unusual for a cyclone to track WNW in
the Southern Hempisphere.

Radar shows a clear Eye assoc with Ingrid and some quite intense eywall
convection.

Outflow from Ingrid has combined with an onshore flow over NE Queensland to
produce more heavy rain (heavier than actually was assoc with Ingrid).
Persistant onshore flow and upper level moisture have led to some large
totals from Townsville Northwards

For the 24 hours until 9am Friday, Piccaninny Plains received 149mm, Coen
Airport 102mm and 81mm at Weipa. Since then Cairns has recorded 97mm between
3:30pm and 6:30pm Friday or nearly 4 inches in 3 hrs.

The 12 hr total to 9pm at Cairns is 186mm or nearly 8 inches of rain.

the 18 hr total to 3am Sat at Cairns is now 228mm or over 9 Inches of
Rain... truly Tropical !!

Regards

Paul