A Category 5 tropical cyclone – the strongest on the scale with the capacity to cause widespread destruction – is bearing down on the Pilbara coastal region in Western Australia, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned, as seaports shut and emergency services braced for potential damage.
According to the bureau, Zelia is moving slowly and is due to make landfall late on Friday in the region that is home to major ports used for the export of commodities, including iron ore, and is also a processing hub for oil and gas supplies.
“The intensity of Tropical Cyclone Zelia means there is significant threat to lives and property and I urge people to follow the directions of emergency services in the Pilbara,” Darren Klemm, head of Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services, told a news conference on Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone is likely to land near Port Hedland, the world’s biggest export point for iron ore, which has been forced to close. Port Hedland is at particular risk from cyclone damage because its buildings are quite older, Klemm said.
Category 5 storms have a maximum wind speed of more than 280km/h (174mph), the bureau’s Western Australia manager James Ashley told the news conference.
Severe Tropical #CycloneZelia, now category 5, to bring very destructive winds and very heavy rain to the Pilbara coast.
Latest: https://t.co/4KFWWiahr3 pic.twitter.com/gaILxL9Wye
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 13, 2025
In a video published by the bureau explaining the situation, weather forecaster Dean Narramore said that with rainfall already recorded at 80 to 100mm (3.1 to 3.9 inches) in the area, heavier downpours are expected in the coming hours.
“And that’s likely to lead to widespread flash and riverine flooding,” Narramore said.
“That’s why we are so concerned about our residents through this part of the Pilbara coast,” he said.
“It is an intense and dangerous system,” he said.
The region’s Fire and Emergency Services issued a statement warning that Cyclone Zelia posed a “possible threat to lives and homes” and urged people to take shelter. Those living in caravans, old or not well-maintained homes were urged to move to the nearest evacuation centre.
Following the warnings, the ports of Dampier and Varanus Island were scheduled to close from 6pm local time on Thursday (10:00 GMT).
Convection bursts occur within an intensifying Tropical Cyclone Zelia as it slows to a crawl near the northwest coast of Australia. pic.twitter.com/x0yiN0Fbs4
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) February 12, 2025
