Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle continues to amaze us with its long journey across northern Australia.

This cyclone began life near the Solomon Islands on March 16, when moist air rose rapidly and created a low-pressure zone. Narelle crossed the Cape York Peninsula last Friday as an intense but compact category 4 system, and continued a steady westerly track across the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Today the cyclone crossed as a dangerous category 4 cyclone near Exmouth, in the far northwest of WA. So far, Narelle has travelled more than 5,700 kilometres since it formed as a system near the Solomons, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

It is relatively rare for an individual tropical cyclone to affect Queensland, the NT and WA. The last time was Severe Cyclone Ingrid in 2005 and Cyclone Steve in 2000. The final path of Narelle is likely to be very similar to Steve, with its final dissipation in the Great Australian Bight.

A large and severe cyclone

Narelle is a much more severe cyclone than Steve, however. The system is now twice the size it was when it reached far north Queensland a week ago — as measured by the area of strong gales around its eye. These damaging winds now extend 200–260km from the centre, while destructive storm-force winds extend 110–210km, and the very destructive core of hurricane-force around the........

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