Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is intensifying and slowly moving north of Port Hedland to bring “very destructive winds and very heavy rain” to the Pilbara coast, the Bureau of Meteorology reports.
The cyclone has formed off the Western Australian coast and is expected to intensify as it makes landfall as a category five system today (13 February) or Friday.
Zelia is forecasted to move to the west and the system is then expected to move further south towards the Pilbara coast on Friday, while strengthening further.
It could potentially cross the coast during Friday over the east Pilbara or far southwest Kimberley coasts.
The forecast path (pictured) is the Bureau’s best estimate of Tropical Cyclone Zelia’s future movement and intensity.
The Bureau of Meteorology says there is always some uncertainty associated with tropical cyclone forecasting and the grey zone indicates the range of likely tracks of the cyclone centre.
“Due to the uncertainty in the future movement, the indicated winds will almost certainly extend to regions outside the rings on this map. The extent of the warning and watch zones reflects this,” the Bureau reports.
“This product is designed for land-based communities; mariners should read the coastal waters and high seas warnings.”
Western Australia is the resources export hub of Australia. The sector produces more than 50 different minerals from 134 projects across the state, with many situated in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions.
In the Pilbara, mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) alone owns an integrated network of 17 mines, four independent port terminals, a rail network spanning nearly 2,000km, and related infrastructure.
Fellow mining behemoth BHP (ASX:BHP) has its iron ore business including integrated iron ore mines, as well as rail and port operations in the Pilbara region.
Fortescue’s (ASX:FMG) three Pilbara mining hubs are connected by 760km of rail to Herb Elliott Port and the Judith Street Harbour towage infrastructure in Port Hedland. Each year it loads and ships more than 970 carriers from Herb Elliott Port, significantly contributing to the port of Port Hedland’s status as the world’s largest bulk export port by tonnage.
Zelia’s potential path of destruction comes just days after the Bureau of Meteorology released its official record of Australia’s climate, water and notable weather events for 2024.
The Annual Climate Statement 2024 outlines the climate conditions across Australia in 2024. It includes information on temperature, rainfall, water resources, oceans, atmosphere and notable weather events.
The report confirms that 2024 was Australia’s second-warmest and eighth-wettest year on record. Nationally, spring was the warmest on record, winter was the second warmest on record and summer 2023–24 was the third warmest on record.
Climatology Specialist Nadine D’Argent says it was warmer than average throughout the year across most of the country.
“It was the wettest year since 2011, with overall rainfall 28% above average,” D’Argent says.
“Tropical cyclones brought heavy rainfall to northern parts of Australia early in the year, where there was major flooding. While much of northern Australia and some inland areas had above average rainfall, it was much drier than usual in Victoria, parts of South Australia and some parts of the west.”
These dry conditions and low inflows led to reduced water storage levels in some southern regions, including the Murray-Darling Basin. However, Australia’s total surface water storage volume was just under 73% at the end of 2024, which was similar to the end of the previous year.
D’Argent says Australia’s climate is influenced by global patterns in the oceans and atmosphere.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: BOM
