Top End residents face a night of damaging gale-force winds and heavy downpours as tropical cyclone Fina sweeps past.

Residents of Darwin and surrounding regions have been urged not to panic but to stay in their homes or emergency shelters until given the all-clear.

The strengthened category-three system brought destructive wind gusts to remote Tiwi Islands communities after passing over the Cobourg Peninsula overnight into the Van Diemen Gulf.

Forecasters expected Fina to track just north of Darwin, which would cop destructive winds and heavy rain, with the risk of flooding.

NT Police incident controller Kirsten Engels said the situation was serious, but people should not panic.

Everyone should stay in their homes or public shelters until emergency services declared it safe to leave,

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