Tropical Cyclone Zelia, one of the most powerful storms to hit Australia in recent years, made landfall on Western Australia‘s Pilbara coast on Friday, bringing destructive winds, torrential rain, and flash flooding.
The Category 5 storm crossed the coast east of Port Hedland around midday, hours earlier than initially expected. The cyclone was packing winds of up to 290 km/h (180 mph) before weakening to Category 4 shortly after landfall.
Despite the downgrade, emergency authorities remain on high alert as the system continues to move inland.
“This is a very dangerous system that will cause significant impact and is causing impacts as we speak,” said Matthew Collopy from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Port Hedland, one of the world’s busiest iron ore export hubs, narrowly avoided the storm’s most destructive core. However, emergency services are dealing with extensive damage in surrounding areas.
“As Cyclone Zelia crosses the coast, our emergency service focus shifts to dealing with the impact of the destructive weather,” WA emergency services commissioner Darren Klemm said.
Major ports, including Port Hedland, Dampier, and Varanus Island, were shut down ahead of the cyclone’s arrival. Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP paused operations, with ships cleared from ports and rail transport halted. “
It is too early to say how long port and rail operations will be closed and what the impact will be,” Rio Tinto said.
The Pilbara region, which accounts for nearly 40% of the world’s iron ore supply, is expected to suffer economic disruptions as authorities assess damage in the coming days.
Residents urged to stay indoors
WA Premier Roger Cook urged residents to take safety precautions.
“It’s big, it’s strong, and it’s very unpredictable. People in Pilbara need to be prepared, and they need to be prepared now,” he warned.
The BOM issued cyclone warnings stretching from Wallal Downs to Dampier. Residents in high-risk areas, including Pardoo Roadhouse to Whim Creek, were told it was “too late to leave.”
Evacuation centres have been set up in Port Hedland and Karratha.
Meanwhile, local content creator Snaga Barra captured the storm’s chaos in a video posted to Instagram, showing extreme weather conditions in the lead-up to Zelia’s landfall.
Zelia is expected to weaken as it moves inland, but forecasters predict continued heavy rain, dangerous winds, and flooding over the weekend.
