Tropical Cyclone Darian intensified to nearly the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Friday. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Friday the center of Tropical Cyclone Darian was located at latitude 12.4°S and longitude 83.6°E which put it about 850 miles (1375 km) east-southeast of Diego Garcia. Darian was moving toward the west at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 155 m.p.h. (250 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 190 m.p.h. (305 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 920 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Darian appeared to go through an eyewall replacement cycle on Thursday. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the original eye and eyewall. Two concentric eyewalls were evident on some microwave satellite images. Darian weakened during the eyewall replacement cycle. The original inner eyewall eventually dissipated and Tropical Cyclone Darian intensified rapidly on Friday. The new eyewall contracted around the center of Darian and a small eye was at the center of circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Tropical Cyclone Darian. Storm near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical cyclone.

The size of Tropical Cyclone Darian increased after the eyewall replacement cycle. Winds to hurricane/typhoon force extended out 60 miles (95 km) from the center of Darian. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 185 miles (295 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Tropical Cyclone Darian was 33.3. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 20.7 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 54.0.

Tropical Cyclone Darian will move through an environment favorable for a strong tropical cyclone during the next 24 hours. Darian will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 27˚C. It will move through a region where the upper level winds are weak and there will be little vertical wind shear. Tropical Cyclone Darian could maintain its intensity during the next 24 hours. If the inner end of a rainband wraps around the existing eye and eyewall, then another eyewall replace cycle could begin. An eyewall replacement cycle would cause Darian to weaken again.

An upper level trough west of Australia will strengthen during the next 36 hours. Northwesterly winds blowing around the western side of the trough will steer Tropical Cyclone Darian toward the south-southeast during that time period. On its anticipated track Darian will move farther away from Diego Garcia.

Elsewhere, Tropical Cyclone Ellie dropped locally heavy rain over parts of the Northern Territory in Australia. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Friday the center of Tropical Cyclone Ellie was located at latitude 15.8°S and longitude 131.0°E which put it about 150 miles (240 km) north-northwest of Daly Waters, Australia. Ellie was moving toward the south-southeast at 11 m.p.h. (17 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 30 m.p.h. (50 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 40 m.p.h. (95 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 999 mb.