Clean-up Begins in Darwin After Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina Brings Damaging Winds
News Report Sunday 23 Novewmber,2025-News Aggregator
DARWIN, NT — Darwin residents woke on Sunday to begin the clean-up after Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina tracked just north of the city on Saturday, November 22, 2025, bringing destructive winds and torrential rain. While the city’s modern, cyclone-rated infrastructure largely held up, the storm, the strongest to approach the Northern Territory capital since 1974’s Cyclone Tracy, left a trail of widespread debris and mass power outages.
Damage Report Summary
The Category 3 cyclone passed just north of Darwin, lashing the city with intense weather throughout Saturday evening and into Sunday morning.
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Wind Gusts: Fina delivered top wind gusts of 195 km/h near its core, with Darwin itself recording gusts reaching 107 km/h.
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Rainfall: Darwin Airport recorded 168.6 mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday morning.
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Power Outages: The most significant impact was felt in power supply, with nearly 19,500 homes and businesses across Darwin and surrounding areas losing electricity, as well as experiencing phone and internet service interruptions.
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Injuries: Crucially, authorities have reported no serious injuries to residents, a testament to the effectiveness of early warnings and the city’s preparedness.
Infrastructure Impact
While the city avoided the catastrophic structural damage of past cyclones, the strong winds caused significant disruption:
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Trees and Debris: Giant trees were ripped from their roots in the Darwin CBD and across suburbs, blocking roads, damaging fences, and tearing down powerlines.
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Hospital Incident: A section of the roof/ceiling at the Royal Darwin Hospital partially collapsed on Saturday, but no patients or staff were injured, and the hospital remained operational.
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Transport: Darwin Airport, which had closed on Saturday, reopened on Sunday.
Preparedness Praised
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and police commissioner Martin Dole praised the residents for heeding the emergency advice to stay indoors or seek shelter, which they credited with preventing serious injuries.
Cleanup crews from PowerWater and emergency services are currently assessing the full extent of the damage to infrastructure and working tirelessly to restore power and clear roads of debris, with residents urged to exercise caution.
Tropical Cyclone Fina has since tracked west-southwest away from Darwin and is expected to move towards the north Kimberley coast, potentially intensifying to a Category 4 system over the open water before weakening.
