Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Ilsa to cross coast on Thursday night

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa will cross the coast between Port Hedland and Wallal Downs as a category 5 system later tonight or early on Friday morning.

Bureau of Meteorology WA manager Todd Smith said category 5 cyclones were “incredibly dangerous”, with a red alert issued for most of the Pilbara and Kimberley coast at 3.30pm WST on Thursday.

The alert means residents, including more than 15,000 people in Port Hedland, must stay indoors until the cyclone has passed.

Smith said the centre of the cyclone would cross the coast to the east of Port Hedland, rivalling another category 5 cyclone that passed through the same area in 2007.

Cyclone George was intense and large with maximum wind speeds of 205km/hr. Three people were killed and there were numerous people injured at locations south of Port Hedland. The damage was estimated at $8 million.

Smith said communities further inland would not have experienced the conditions expected to be seen this time around.

“Any houses that aren’t built to code will suffer damage,” he said.

“We are expecting the system to track right through the interior of WA. Conditions between Eighty Mile Beach and Port Hedland have already started to deteriorate.

“Communities in those coastal areas need to bunker down and be ready to weather the storm.”

Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said crews needed to wait until the cyclone had passed before assessing damage. There was only one main road between Port Hedland and Broome, which could be challenging to clear.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Jessica Lingard said thunderstorms have been occurring off the coast and conditions were deteriorating fast in the area.

Heavy rainfall and squally thunderstorms are expected over the western Kimberley, and may extend to the eastern Pilbara on Thursday and Northern Interior from Friday with between 200 and 400 millimetres of rain possible near where Ilsa crosses the coast.

A warning area south of Broome to Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and extending inland as far as Parnngurr, including Nullagine, Marble Bar and Telfer is in place.

Inland areas from Parnngurr to Kiwirrkurra, and south-west of Balgo are now under a watch zone warning.

At 280km/hr, winds can lift and shift caravans, boats and trailers.

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