Situated along the edge of a near-equatorial ridge, the storm tracked generally east and was forecast to maintain this movement for much of its existence. Later on 21 November, the BOM classified the system as a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian cyclone intensity scale and assigned it the name "Alessia", at which time it was located 390 km (240 mi) north of Broome. A smaller-than-average cyclone, Alessia featured a core of deep convection but no notable banding features, making Dvorak satellite intensity estimates difficult. The storm, having a maximum diameter of no more than 335 km (210 mi) with gale-force winds covering less than half that distance, maintained a very small central dense overcast as it approached the Kimberley region. Around 0600 UTC on 23 November, the JTWC estimated Alessia to have attained one-minute sustained winds of 85 km/h (50 mph). Throughout 23 November, a slight northerly component took place in the track, with Alessia remaining offshore as it brushed the Kimberley region. However, dry air from over Australia was drawn into the system, causing a dramatic decrease in convection. At this time, Alessia became the first storm since Tropical Cyclone Anika in 2008 to affect Western Australia during November. Later that day, the storm passed over Troughton Island where gale-force winds were measured. Moving over the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf at the southern end of the Timor Sea early on 24 November, a burst in convection over Alessia's center indicated it was maintaining its intensity as a minimal tropical cyclone. Continued reorganization of the cyclone's structure took place as it accelerated east toward the Top End region, with defined banding apparent on satellite imagary and a tight circulation center seen on local radar. Alessia made landfall at 0930 UTC on 24 November near the Daly River Mouth, south of Darwin, Northern Territory, before rapidly weakening to a tropical low. Alessia's movement onshore marked the first time since Cyclone Joan in 1975 that a tropical cyclone affected the Northern Territory during November. In light of the system moving overland, the JTWC issues their final advisory on the cyclone. Moving steadily eastward across Top End, Alessia remained weak but its proximity to water allowed significant bursts of convection to develop during this time. Early on 26 November, the former cyclone emerged over the Gulf of Carpentaria near Blue Mud Bay.