Possibly the first observations inspection in the north was undertaken by Inspector Richards of the Commonwealth Weather Bureau who visited Darwin in 1915 and placed all stations on a satisfactory footing. On 1 February 1925, Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd. began broadcasting daily from Darwin the forecasts for the northwest coast, Gulf of Carpentaria and Queensland.

In October 1934 a meteorological office was established at Darwin's Fannie Bay Airstrip. With the advent of the war and the construction of a new airport, this office was transferred to its present site at the beginning of 1942. Other offices were established at Daly Waters in 1939 (later transferred to Tennant Creek in 1969) and Alice Springs in 1941.

The Northern Territory Divisional Office commenced operations at Darwin Airport on 1 March 1963. Prior to this time the NT had been under the control of the South Australian Divisional Office. The Darwin Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre was established with the opening of the new city Regional Office early in 1965.

Apart from the Port Essington cyclone already mentioned, other storms which had a major impact on Northern Territory settlements were:

• the Great Hurricane at Darwin in January 1897 which took 28 lives, flattened the town and destroyed much of the pearling fleet in Darwin Harbour;
• the cyclone and 'tidal wave' which severely damaged the Bathurst Island Mission in March 1919;
• the infamous 'Douglas Mawson' cyclone (named after a coastal steamer of that name that sunk) of March 1923 which destroyed the Emerald River Mission on Groote Eylandt;
• the Darwin cyclone of March 1937 which severely damaged the town;
• the cyclone and disastrous flood of January 1940 which wrecked the Roper River Mission and completely submerged the Roper River Police Station;
• Cyclone Tracy in December 1974 which took 65 lives, destroyed or severely damaged 95% of Darwin dwellings, causing damage estimated at the time of around $800 million.

Bureau of Meteorology