Cyclone Marcus packs a punch in Darwin, but doesn't stop group enjoying birthday celebrations
As Cyclone Marcus lashed Darwin it did not stop a group of Queensland men from enjoying a 40th birthday celebration.
The group, who are on a fishing trip to celebrate the milestone birthday, can be seen in a video sipping on beers in the pool during the wild weather.
But while the mens' antics are causing chins to wag, it's not behaviour authorities would recommend.
While the eye of the category one storm moved off the coast near Daly River Mouth late afternoon on Saturday, emergency services advised Darwin residents to remain inside saying it was still not safe to go outside.
According to AAP, Darwin has been battered by 130km/h winds as Tropical Cyclone Marcus moved through the city, bringing down trees and power lines with a massive clean-up operation set to get underway.
Marcus is now headed as a category two storm towards the Timor Sea and is expected to hit Western Australia's Kimberley Coast on Sunday, bringing wind gusts of up to 120km/h.
It will then continue moving westwards, into the Indian Ocean.
The Cyclone Warning for Darwin has now been cancelled, according to the latest BOM update.
During Saturday the storm felled power lines and trees and damaged property across Darwin and also affected the city's drinking supply.
Residents have been told to boil drinking water as a precaution until further notice.
They've also been advised to avoid travelling.
Emergency services warned residents that the felled power lines could be live.
NT Emergency Services crews have begun to respond to hundreds of calls for help in the aftermath of the cyclone and have started clearing debris around Royal Darwin Hospital and the airport as a priority.
One Darwin resident said "Marcus sure packed a punch" and showed a photo of a huge fallen tree that had crushed her parents' home in the city's north.
Earlier in the day, water police were called out to rescue two people from two boats that collided after one of them slipped its moorings in Sangove Creek as the storm struck.
#Darwin blasted: locals sharing damage done by #CycloneMarcus - 130kmh gusts & 100mm rain in 4 hrs. #7News #cyclone pic.twitter.com/7N9qKCDQqb
— Paul Kadak (@PaulKadak) March 17, 2018
Officers rescued an elderly couple from one of the boats and two people from the other vessel, which was taking on water, however a third person refused to leave.
A warning zone is currently in place from Dundee Beach to Mitchell Plateau, with a watch zone for Cockatoo Island.
Flights in and out of Darwin were cancelled on Saturday but flights will resume after midnight. The first flight is due at 4.15am Sunday and all of Sunday's flights will operate as scheduled, according to the airport.
Businesses in Darwin were told to close their doors on Saturday, though some had opened early in the day to let customers purchase supplies.
