Severe tropical cyclone Zelia made landfall on Australia's west coast on Friday, bringing heavy wind gusts and record-breaking rainfall to the country’s most resource-rich region.
The storm made landfall at Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, 65km east of Port Hedland just after 12pm local time (4am GMT), according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
Rapidly intensifying to the highest Category 5 level, Zelia packed wind speeds of up to 290kmph (180mph) and moved faster than expected at 11kmph, the BoM said.
By 2pm, it had begun tracking south and weakened slightly to a Category 4, but authorities warned the danger was far from over.
The warning zone stretches from Wallal Downs to Whim Creek where residents are experiencing severe winds, power outages, and supply shortages. At least 124 people had sought refuge in evacuation centres in Port Hedland and Karratha.
Port Hedland, a town of 15,000 people, narrowly missed the cyclone’s core.
Earlier, officials warned people to shelter in the strongest part of their house as it was “too late” to evacuate.
"There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately. Shelter indoors now. It is too late to leave,” Darren Klemm, commissioner of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned of torrential rainfall, with up to 300mm (11.8 inches) expected in the next 24 hours and three-day totals of up to 500mm. Several rivers, including the De Grey River, are at risk of severe flooding.
“This is a very dangerous system that will cause significant impact,” said BoM forecaster Matthew Collopy.
Meteorologist Angus Hines described the storm as “catastrophic”.
"Category 5 is the top of the scale. It does not get any worse than that, extremely damaging winds, widespread rain, flooding, and storm surge are all expected."
Cyclone Zelia has paralysed Australia’s iron ore exports, forcing the closure of major ports and mining operations across the Pilbara.
Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export terminal, shut down on Wednesday, with major mining giants like BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, and Hancock halting operations and asking staff to shelter.
"The company is working to mitigate impacts and will provide operational updates as appropriate," Rio Tinto said in a statement.
Fortescue suspended operations at its Iron Bridge mining site, while BHP confirmed its Port Hedland personnel are sheltering in Category 5-rated facilities.
Dampier, Cape Lambert, and Varanus Island ports, key hubs for iron ore and gas, were closed on Thursday evening.
Cyclone Zelia went from a category three to a category five in 24 hours. In the last few years, the rapid intensification of tropical storms, in both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, has become quite common due to hotter ocean waters.
“The elevated sea surface temperatures are playing a role in helping drive up the intensity as there’s more moisture in the atmosphere and that’s why severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia will potentially create flash flooding when it hits the coast,” climate councillor professor David Karoly said.
