Australia's northwest region could be hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone there in a decade as ports cleared ships and residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies.
Ships waiting to be loaded with iron ore are seen at the Fortescue loading dock located at Port Hedland, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia December 3, 2013. REUTERS/David Gray/
SYDNEY, April 13 - Australia's northwest region, home to the world's largest export hub for iron ore, could be hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone there in a decade asCyclone Ilsa, located about 300 km off Australia's coast in the Indian Ocean, was on Thursday morning upgraded to a category four storm - one rung below the strongest category five.
It is now expected to make landfall as early as Thursday night, packing winds of up to 275 km per hour , the Bureau of Meteorology said. "They've got a lot of strength in them, the ability to not only destroy trees and knock down power lines but lift up those loose items in the yard, including trailers and caravans," meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told ABC television.
The weather bureau said in its latest update Ilsa could impact a 600 km sparsely populated stretch from just north of Port Hedland eastwards to just south of tourist town Broome.
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