SEVERE Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall north of Coen, Queensland on 20 March as a Category 4 system. The cyclone crossed the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria before making a second landfall near Cape Shield in the Northern Territory on 22 March as a category 3 system.

As of 10:44 am CST on 23 March, Narelle has weakened below tropical cyclone strength and is currently positioned over the western Top End of the Northern Territory.

Additionally, tropical moisture convergence along the northern Queensland coast led to heavy rainfall.

Weekly rainfall totals of 100 to 300 mm, and locally higher, were recorded across parts of the Cape York Peninsula and the north-eastern coast of Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory and northern parts of the Kimberley, Western Australia.

Earlier this week, a weakening tropical low in the Northern Territory brought moisture southwards and interacted with a trough and cold front over southern Australia that brought widespread rain and thunderstorms to much of the Northern Territory and South Australia and parts of south-eastern Australia.

Weekly rainfall totals of 25 to 150 mm, and locally higher, were recorded across large parts of the Northern Territory, most of northern and eastern South Australia, northern and eastern parts of Victoria and eastern New South Wales.

There is ongoing minor to major flooding across much of Queensland and the Top End of the Northern Territory.

The highest weekly total (at a Bureau gauge) was 465.8 mm at Scherger RAAF in Queensland.

The highest daily total (at a Bureau gauge) was 226.0 mm at Weipa Aero in Queensland in the 24 hours to 9 am on 21 March.