Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia has rapidly intensified to category 5, earlier than predicted, and is expected to cross the West Australian coast around 5pm WST Friday. The powerful storm, carrying winds up to 290km/h, poses a significant threat to the region, with warnings of destructive winds, torrential rain, and widespread flooding. The cyclone has prompted evacuations, school closures, flight cancellations, and the closure of the world's largest export tonnage port in Port Hedland.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia has intensified to category 5 earlier than predicted and is forecast to cross the West Australian coast around 5pm WST Friday carrying winds up to 290km/h.
The Bureau of Meteorology expert warned the storm, currently 120 kilometres off the Pilbara coast, was expected to cross the coast between Karratha and De Grey, further west than earlier predicted. Qantas and Virgin Australia have cancelled flights in and out of Port Hedland and an evacuation centre has been set up at JD Hardie Youth and Community Hub.Bureau spokesman Dean Narramore told“all the ingredients came together” overnight for the cyclone to rapidly intensify from a category 2 to category 5 storm within 12 hours.
“There is great uncertainty as to where and when the very destructive inner core of the cyclone will cross the coast,” the alert warned. “DFES has significantly boosted its resources in the Pilbara and the Kimberley with additional personal into our incident management teams in both Broome and Karratha as well as operational on-the-ground personnel, rapid damage assessment teams into Nullagine and Marble Bar and in the Pilbara more generally,” he said.Road access to the North West, including the North West Highway, is expected to be impacted for up to a week due to extensive flooding.
CYCLONE FLOODING WESTERN AUSTRALIA SEVERE WEATHER PORT HEDLAND
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