Cyclone Fina brings widespread infrastructure damage across Australia

Tropical Cyclone Fina swept past the Northern Territory with wind gusts exceeding 195 km/h, generating extensive damage across Darwin and nearby regions. The system intensified rapidly into a Category 3 storm before moving offshore, producing heavy rainfall, structural impacts and large-scale power outages. Approximately 19,000 customers lost electricity as fallen trees, damaged power poles and debris obstructed critical access routes. A section of roof at the Royal Darwin Hospital collapsed, underscoring the vulnerability of essential facilities during high-wind events.

Cyclone Fina also caused the collapse of trees, failures along local roads and damage to residential buildings. Emergency crews worked to clear debris while energy authorities deployed multiple repair teams to restore power. Gusts at Darwin Airport exceeded 100 km/h, and heavy rainfall exceeded 400 mm in nearby areas, stressing drainage systems and contributing to local inundation. The cyclone’s behaviour revived comparisons to the historically significant Cyclone Tracy event, reinforcing the continued relevance of robust wind design strategies for public and private infrastructure assets.

While the Northern Territory experienced the cyclone’s core, a sudden and highly destructive storm system struck Port Pirie in South Australia. The event produced wind gusts of approximately 119 km/h, hail accumulation and widespread structural damage, including roof failures and inundation within residential properties. Local crews responded to more than 300 emergency calls, and approximately 4,900 households lost electricity at the peak of the storm. These consecutive events demonstrated the increasing strain placed on electrical networks, transportation corridors and critical facilities during high-intensity weather occurrences.