Flood emergency warnings remain in place for Katherine and surrounding areas after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle brought heavy rain to the region while moving west towards WA.

An afternoon update from the NT government says the Adelaide River recorded a major flood peak early this morning.

“The Adelaide River at Adelaide River Town is currently at 12.46m and falling, with major flooding,” the update says. “A flood watch is current for parts of the Top End including the Adelaide River catchment. A severe weather warning is also current for parts of the NT.”

The Bureau of Meteorology’s seven-day cyclone outlook, issued just before midday, says Narelle is expected to reintensify over water west of the Kimberley coast tomorrow night or on Wednesday.

It is currently a tropical low, packing sustained winds near the centre of 55km/h.

The bureau says there is a 70% chance Narelle becomes a cyclone again on Wednesday morning about 11am, with the probability 95% by about 11pm.

“The system is forecast to move west to southwest, parallel to the Pilbara coast, on Wednesday and into Thursday as a severe tropical cyclone,” the bureau said.

“From later on Thursday, Narelle is expected to turn towards the south and may impact western parts of WA.”

The storm passed north of Katherine last night, bringing more rain to an area that suffered its worst floods in years earlier this month.

“We may reach the minor flood levels later today, but we are no longer expecting to reach the major flood level for Katherine town,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jude Scott told reporters.

“In terms of what to expect from the weather, from today we’re back to more typical wet season conditions with a chance of showers and storms across the Top End.”

She says a weather warning and coastal hazard warning remain in place amid damaging surf conditions, including around Darwin and southern parts of the Tiwi Islands.

Narelle made landfall in Far North Queensland on Friday morning as a category 4 cyclone.

Federal MP for Leichhardt Matt Smith says it has been “a rough couple of weeks in terms of weather” for northern Queensland.

Mr Smith, who visited Coen and Weipa at the weekend, said on Facebook this morning: “I can say thankfully that the towns themselves missed out on quite a lot of damage. We did dodge a bullet here, and I’m very, very thankful that everyone has come through safe.”