The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone would have a "very destructive core" when it made landfall, with wind gusts of up to 185km/h expected from the Nathan River in the NT down to Queensland.
Severe conditions were expected from early Sunday, with meteorologist Miriam Bradbury warning communities to expect sustained gale-force winds and damaging gusts of up to 100km/h.
"We could see trees and tree limbs downed by these winds, leading to debris on the roads and potentially disrupted transport routes," Ms Bradbury said.
She warned communities outside the tropical cyclone warning zone could still feel the impacts of wind and rain, with a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall issued in the East Arnhem district.
"Twenty-four-hour rainfall totals could exceed 200 millimetres, which can lead to flash flooding," Ms Bradbury said.
The weather system is expected to return to a tropical low as it heads further inland on Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting the bureau to issue flood watches for further river rises across the territory.
Abnormally high tides are likely along the gulf's coast and large waves could produce minor flooding along the foreshore, the bureau said.
It comes one month after category one ex-tropical Cyclone Lincoln crossed the territory's coast in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, bringing high winds and heavy rainfall.
https://www.canberratimes(...)ards-top-ends-coast/