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| Cyclone Ilsa strong enough to ‘pick up a caravan’ when it makes landfall in WA on Thursday | Cyclone Ilsa strong enough to ‘pick up a caravan’ when it makes landfall in WA on Thursday |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Tropical cyclone set to strengthen to category 4, bringing gusts of 250km/h when it makes landfall between Broome and Port Hedland | Tropical cyclone set to strengthen to category 4, bringing gusts of 250km/h when it makes landfall between Broome and Port Hedland |
| A tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall in Western Australia on Thursday, bringing winds strong enough to damage roofing, knock over trees and caravans and cause widespread power outages, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned. | A tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall in Western Australia on Thursday, bringing winds strong enough to damage roofing, knock over trees and caravans and cause widespread power outages, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned. |
| Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is about 350km north-west of Broome, but is expected to strengthen to a category 4 by the time it makes landfall between Broome and Port Headland on Thursday, making it the first storm of such magnitude to strike the region in more than a decade. | Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is about 350km north-west of Broome, but is expected to strengthen to a category 4 by the time it makes landfall between Broome and Port Headland on Thursday, making it the first storm of such magnitude to strike the region in more than a decade. |
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| Wind gusts are expected to pick up to 140km/h as it moves south-west on Wednesday afternoon, with gusts reaching up to 250km/h by the time it makes landfall, BoM said. | Wind gusts are expected to pick up to 140km/h as it moves south-west on Wednesday afternoon, with gusts reaching up to 250km/h by the time it makes landfall, BoM said. |
| BoM has urged residents in the area to prepare for the cyclone by securing loose objects like outdoor furniture, trampolines, trailers, boats and caravans. | BoM has urged residents in the area to prepare for the cyclone by securing loose objects like outdoor furniture, trampolines, trailers, boats and caravans. |
| “Tie them down so these items don’t become dangerous projectiles as the system moves,” BoM meteorologist Jessica Lingard said. “It will be [strong] enough to pick up a caravan and move it around.” | “Tie them down so these items don’t become dangerous projectiles as the system moves,” BoM meteorologist Jessica Lingard said. “It will be [strong] enough to pick up a caravan and move it around.” |
| As the cyclone strengthens to a category 3 on Wednesday evening, it will bring heavy rainfall and destructive winds to the western Kimberley region. Storms could also extend into the Pilbara region. | As the cyclone strengthens to a category 3 on Wednesday evening, it will bring heavy rainfall and destructive winds to the western Kimberley region. Storms could also extend into the Pilbara region. |
| Remote Aboriginal communities, pastoral stations, mines and tourism operators have been asked to evacuate, the WA fire and emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, told media on Wednesday. | Remote Aboriginal communities, pastoral stations, mines and tourism operators have been asked to evacuate, the WA fire and emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, told media on Wednesday. |
| People living in structures not built to withstand a category 4 weather event have also been told to evacuate. | People living in structures not built to withstand a category 4 weather event have also been told to evacuate. |
| Vessels such as iron ore carriers will be removed from the Port Hedland port on Wednesday. Klemm also said the North West Coastal Highway between Port Hedland and Broome would likely close before the weekend due to flooding. | |
| BoM expect the cyclone to downgrade to a tropical low by early Saturday. | |
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| In remote Aboriginal community Bidyadanga, almost 200km south of Broome, vulnerable locals including elderly and patients having dialysis treatment have been evacuated. | |
| “We have these weather systems every year, and have done a lot of preparation,” Tania Baxter, chief executive officer at Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange, said. “There is a little bit of community anxiety, because we haven’t had category 4 in a few years.” | |
| “Our concerns are of maintaining power so we can keep water on,” she said. “Any potential flooding on the Great Northern Highway, south and north of the community, would then isolate us.” | |
| “It is something we have to wait out, it is something we have gone through before,” Baxter said. “It is not doom and gloom. We are going to face this, and it’ll be OK.” |