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March 19, 2026 - Tropical Cyclone Narelle
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Tropical Cyclone Narelle was rapidly strengthening as it barreled towards northern Australia on March 17, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image. At that time, Narelle carried maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph (113 km/h) and was located southeast of the islands of Papau New Guinea. A little more than 48 hours later, Narelle had become the strongest cyclone on Earth in the first months of 2026 and was threatening Australia’s Top End.
On the morning of March 19, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Tropical Cyclone Narelle’s maximum sustained winds had reached about 145 miles per hour (233 km/h), and Zoom Earth reported that central pressure was reported at 933 millibars. These wind speeds placed Narelle as a Category 5 cyclone in the Australian Tropical Cyclone Category and a very strong Category 4 storm in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—and the combination of pressure and wind speed made Narelle the strongest storm so far this year.
According to the JTWC, on the morning of March 19, Tropical Cyclone Narelle was located at 13.6S 145.4E, or 199 nautical miles (229 mi/369 km) north of Cairns, Australia. It was moving westward at 11 knots (12.7 mph/20.4 km/h) and pushing waves as high as 39 feet (0.3 meters).
The storm is expected to slightly decrease intensity before making landfall over the Cape York Peninsula near Coen very early on March 20, local time. It should weaken before exiting land and moderately restrengthen over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to then make a second landfall, moving over Northern Territory with maximum sustained winds around 90 mph (145 km/h) on March 21.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued advice and severe weather warnings ahead of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. For Queensland, they advise that very destructive wind gusts in excess of 250 km/h (155 mph) may occur as the storm crosses Cape York Peninsula. Destructive wind gusts of up to 160 km/h (99.4 mph) are likely to persist along a broader swath through the day. Heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding, especially across portions of the Cape York Peninsula.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/17/2026
Resolutions:
1km (500.5 KB), 500m (1.5 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Tropical Cyclone Narelle was rapidly strengthening as it barreled towards northern Australia on March 17, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image. At that time, Narelle carried maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph (113 km/h) and was located southeast of the islands of Papau New Guinea. A little more than 48 hours later, Narelle had become the strongest cyclone on Earth in the first months of 2026 and was threatening Australia’s Top End.
On the morning of March 19, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Tropical Cyclone Narelle’s maximum sustained winds had reached about 145 miles per hour (233 km/h), and Zoom Earth reported that central pressure was reported at 933 millibars. These wind speeds placed Narelle as a Category 5 cyclone in the Australian Tropical Cyclone Category and a very strong Category 4 storm in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—and the combination of pressure and wind speed made Narelle the strongest storm so far this year.
According to the JTWC, on the morning of March 19, Tropical Cyclone Narelle was located at 13.6S 145.4E, or 199 nautical miles (229 mi/369 km) north of Cairns, Australia. It was moving westward at 11 knots (12.7 mph/20.4 km/h) and pushing waves as high as 39 feet (0.3 meters).
The storm is expected to slightly decrease intensity before making landfall over the Cape York Peninsula near Coen very early on March 20, local time. It should weaken before exiting land and moderately restrengthen over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to then make a second landfall, moving over Northern Territory with maximum sustained winds around 90 mph (145 km/h) on March 21.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued advice and severe weather warnings ahead of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. For Queensland, they advise that very destructive wind gusts in excess of 250 km/h (155 mph) may occur as the storm crosses Cape York Peninsula. Destructive wind gusts of up to 160 km/h (99.4 mph) are likely to persist along a broader swath through the day. Heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding, especially across portions of the Cape York Peninsula.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/17/2026
Resolutions:
1km (500.5 KB), 500m (1.5 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
