Cyclone Paul downgraded to a low

Emergency services in Australia's Top End will continue to closely monitor weather
patterns near Arnhem Land, despite cyclone Paul being downgraded to a tropical low.
While the low continues to lash communities in far northern Australia with
gale-force winds and heavy rain, forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)
warn the system could reform into a cyclone on Thursday.
"We are encouraging people to keep a very close eye on conditions approaching
Easter," BoM regional director Andrew Tupper told reporters in Darwin late on
Tuesday.
"We could get some significant (rainfall) in the next few days and that is certainly
going to cause some flooding in the area."
Paul barged across Arnhem Land after crossing the coast as a category two cyclone on
Monday morning.
The BoM said it had weakened to a category one cyclone as of noon (CST) on Tuesday
and would continue to lose strength as it remained over land.
At 3.30pm (CST) Paul was estimated to be 160km northwest of Alyangula and 215km
west-southwest of Nhulunbuy, and was slow moving.
The Northern Territory's Counter Disaster Council met on Tuesday to discuss
emergency prevention arrangements, and will meet again on Wednesday.
NT Police Commissioner John McRoberts said the council, including representatives
from essential services, would ensure resources were well placed, ready to respond.
"Cyclone Paul is of sufficient concern for us at the moment to have a preparatory
meeting to ensure the effects of the cyclone on those communities is well managed,"
he told reporters in Darwin on Tuesday.
Schools and a BHP mine on Groote Eylandt have been closed and cyclone centres and
shelters across the region activated.