Latest news with #CycloneZelia
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Weatherwatch: Cyclone Zelia brings 130mph winds to north-west Australia
Cyclone Zelia became the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in 2025, hitting north-west Australia on Valentine's Day as a category 4 system. It brought damaging winds of 130mph and heavy rainfall, with 440mm of rain falling in two days. Prior to landfall, Zelia affected southern Indonesia, including Bali, with winds of more than 45mph. The storm weakened into a tropical low by Saturday, but continued to cause widespread flooding, particularly near the Pilbara rivers and the Great Sandy Desert. Zelia intensified rapidly because of the record-warm Indian Ocean temperatures, which were 1-2C above seasonal average, providing increased energy and moisture to fuel the storm. While Port Hedland in Western Australia had minimal damage, nearby areas like Pilbara and Marble Bar faced flooding and fallen trees. The Great Northern Highway remains closed, disrupting food supplies and leaving supermarket shelves empty. The tropical low is now tracking southwards, with rainfall becoming patchier and lighter. Over the weekend, meanwhile, WinterStorm Jett swept through the north-east of the US, bringing strong winds, snow, freezing rain and blizzards. South-west Pennsylvania had about five inches of snow, while southern New York received four inches. Higher elevations in the Adirondacks, St Lawrence Valley, and the mountains of New England and Maine are expected to accumulate up to a foot of snow from the storm. This week, high winds from Jett will continue to affect the north-east, with gusts expected to reach up to 60mph. Wind alerts remain in place, with power outages and travel disruptions likely. The winter storm formed through a process known as bombogenesis – a rapid intensification of low pressure, whereby the pressure drops by at least 24 hectopascals within 24 hours. As the active polar vortex persists, North America and Canada are bracing for yet another deep freeze. The cold air in the region will strengthen the upper-level ridge over Canada, creating a vast reservoir of cold air that will continue to push southwards across the US, bringing more extreme temperatures to the region. Over the weekend, the Northern Plains experienced a sharp drop in temperatures which is expected to spread south and east through the week, reaching the Gulf and the east coast by Thursday. This cold snap is forecast to bring temperatures more than 10 degrees below average across the US and Canada, with cities such as Chicago, Colombus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit and Indianapolis experiencing daytime highs of about -15C to -20C. In Canada, cities such as Edmonton and Saskatoon could experience lows of below -35C.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Knew it would happen': Shelves stripped bare
Supermarket shelves in Western Australia have been stripped, as the major freight route to Broome remains closed in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Zelia. Fresh produce deliveries from the south have been restricted after the Great Northern Highway was closed on Thursday due to flooding. One bewildered Broome local shared eerie images on social media of empty supermarket shelves just minutes after the road closures. ' … I knew it would happen hence my tip to you in Woolies,' one person commented. 'Thanks to you I have milk,' the author of the post replied. A Coles spokesperson told the ABC there were 'contingencies in place' to send stock to Broome and Kununurra via Darwin. 'We are working with DFES and the state government on getting supplies into the impacted areas in Western Australia as soon as possible,' they said. 'We have rerouted stock to be sent via South Australia and the Northern Territory to get essential groceries to the area as soon as possible.' Woolworths deliveries had also been delayed, with product limits placed on certain products at its Broome store, a spokesperson told the ABC. 'We ask customers to be mindful of others and only buy what they need,' they said. 'Our supply chain team is on standby to bring in stock when it is safe to do so.' It is unclear when roads will reopen, as flooding continues to impact communities across the Pilbara region. While Cyclone Zelia has passed, emergency services are continuing efforts to rescue stranded residents and assist in recovery operations, warning significant rainfall and flood risks remain. The cyclone made landfall last Friday as a category 4 system, bringing destructive winds and heavy rainfall across the coast about 60km east of Port Hedland. Wind gusts reached 270km/h at the core of the cyclone, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Residents in flood-affected areas have been urged to continue monitoring updates from authorities.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Cyclone Zelia makes landfall in Western Australia as residents told its ‘too late to evacuate'
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.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Ugly': Lightning strike sign of what's to come
A local content creator has captured scenes of ferocious weather in the lead-up to one of Australia's most powerful storms, which is set to lash the Pilbara region hours earlier than expected. Snaga Barra, who runs a fishing YouTube channel, is based in Wyndham, the northernmost town in Western Australia's Kimberley region. His Instagram video, uploaded on Thursday, shows chaotic scenes as Tropical Cyclone Zelia nears the coast. Later in the video, he claims to be left with a metallic taste in his mouth after lightning strikes the ground near where he is standing. A man claimed he was left with a metallic taste in his mouth after lightning struck the ground near where he was standing as Cyclone Zelia inches closer to the WA coast. Tropical Cyclone Zelia is a category 5 cyclone, classified at the 'top of the category', according to Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines. 'This is as strong as they come – it is a large significant weather system,' Mr Hines said. Previously forecast to hit the coast at 6pm or 7pm AWST, the torrential storm is now expected to make landfall at 3pm or 4pm AWST on Friday, Mr Hines said. The location of the system's coastal crossing has also changed, with predictions expecting it to cross east of Port Hedland, instead of west. 'Broadly speaking, that won't mean a significant shift to the weather,' Mr Hines said. 'We still anticipate very heavy rainfall, damaging and destructive winds in Port Hedland itself.' While the tropical cyclone was slow to move overnight, it has begun its trajectory south towards the coast and is sitting over the Pilbara coastal waters, about 100km north of Port Hedland. Within 24 hours, Cylcone Zelia jumped from a category 3 to a category 5. Climate Council's David Karoly said changes in the climate meant cyclones 'get ugly more quickly'. 'A warming planet means there are actually fewer cyclones forming but when they hit they're more intense,' Professor Karoly said. 'The storm surges are much worse, the amounts of rain are much greater and the strength of winds are sometimes worse.' In the case of Cyclone Zelia, once the system makes contact with the coastline, wind gusts of 300km/h are expected at the crossing point. 'It's hard to fathom how strong that is, but it can take out trees, power lines and completely destroy properties and houses,' Mr Hines said. 'We won't see winds that strong across other parts of the Pilbara, but 100km to 150km hour gusts are possible,' Mr Hines said. Western Australia emergency services commissioner Darren Klemm said the conditions posed a 'significant threat to lives and property' and is urged residents to follow all directions from authorities. 'We have significantly increased our resources in the past 24 hours in preparation,' Mr Klemm said. The storm will be heading south towards the coast on Friday, with severe weather conditions likely to be experienced during the afternoon. Although the bureau has classified it as slowing moving, Cyclone Zelia has sustained winds near the centre of 205km/h and wind gusts of up to 285km/h. It's too late to leave for residents in Pardoo Roadhouse to Whim Creek and inland to west of Marble Bar, according to Emergency WA. Severe Tropical #CycloneZelia, a category 5 system, is slow moving to the north of Port Hedland and is forecast to move south towards the coast today. #CycloneZelia to bring very destructive winds and very heavy rain to the Pilbara coast. Latest: — Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 13, 2025 Those west of Whim Creek to Karratha and Dampier, inland to Tom Price, north to Eighty Mile Beach, and east of Pardoo Roadhouse are being urged to put their cyclone plans into action. The bureau has listed areas from Wallal Downs to Dampier as a warning zone – this includes Port Hedland, Karratha and Dampier and has been extended inland through Marble Bar, Tom Price and down towards Newman. WA Premier Roger Cook said the cyclone was 'going to be a big one'. '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 said. There are two evacuation centres open, one in Port Hedland and the other in Karratha. About a dozen schools have been closed in the state's north, with numerous road and highway closures in place. 'Today is going to be a very significant day as it approaches and likely crosses the Pilbara coast,' Mr Hines said. Major banks have come out in support of local residents and businesses affected by the emergency. 'We are thinking of everyone affected by Tropical Cyclone Zelia across the Pilbara region of Western Australia,' Commonwealth Bank Australia senior executive Angus Sullivan said. 'We are making a range of measures available, tailored to the needs of our customers.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Australia braces for 'very destructive winds' as Category 5 cyclone nears landfall
Northern Australia is bracing for a Category 5 tropical cyclone that is expected to bring 'very destructive winds' and 'very heavy rain' to its coastline on Friday, with meteorologists warning of gusts up to 180 miles an hour. As of Thursday, the slow-moving Cyclone Zelia was 90 miles north of Port Hedland and was forecast to hit the Pilbara Coast as early as Friday morning with winds of up to 130 miles an hour, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said in an advisory. 'Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is rapidly intensifying with very strong convection surrounding a warm eye,' read a weather bulletin, which added that the cyclone was moving off with heavy rainfall in its eastern rainbands. More than a dozen schools have been closed in the northern part of the state of Western Australia, with authorities along the coast warning residents to take shelter as the cyclone, which was upgraded to the highest possible Category 5 on Thursday afternoon, unleashed winds of up to 115 miles an hour. 'Heavy rainfall is expected on the coast during the next couple of days,' the BOM advisory read, warning of rainfall intensifying 'near and to the east of the center of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.' The 'very destructive' wind gusts of up to 180 miles an hour were expected close to the center of the cyclone as it crosses the coast, the advisory added. The cyclone is expected to bring intense rainfall that may lead to flash flooding on Friday along the coastal and inland areas between Wallal Downs and Karratha. 'There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a cyclone is approaching the area,' Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services said, issuing a 'Cyclone Watch and Act' warning advising people along parts of the Pilbara Coast, including Karratha and inland areas, including Marble Bar, to take shelter. DFES also said it had opened two evacuation centers for shelter. The warnings have also prompted multiple highway closures in the area, with DFES warning roads could become impassable and that there was water already on some roads. Residents along the coast have been warned of 'dangerous storm ride' and flooding of the low-lying areas along the shore. The Western Australia ports of Dampier and Varanus Island, which are used for commodities exports, were also closed on Thursday, their operator said. Zelia, which was moving at a slow speed of less than 3 miles an hour, was forecast to be steered southward to landfall due to a weakened westward anticyclone on Friday, BOM said. The most destructive bit of the cyclone could hit coastal areas between De Grey and Karratha on Friday night. But landfall may be delayed until Saturday, it said, due to 'weak ridging to the south of the system beforehand, which will drag it further west.' This article was originally published on
