Cyclone Narelle downgraded to tropical low but severe weather warnings remain for storm-ravaged WA | Australia weather
Former Tropical Cyclone Narelle was downgraded to a tropical low on Saturday morning after making landfall in Western Australia on Friday.
But storm-ravaged communities have been warned to remain cautious as residents along the state’s coastline prepare to trace damage across the Pilbara and North West Cape.
The system continued to lose intensity as it moved southeast on Saturday, bringing winds of up to 100 km/h and heavy rains. Flash floods threatened the wheat belt region and Perth.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the system was expected to continue moving south-eastwards from Geraldton before exiting the south coast on Saturday, with conditions expected to ease by Sunday.
The BoM confirmed at 5.45am local time on Saturday morning that the chances of the system redeveloping were “very low”, but warned the danger was not over for the central and southern regions.
The bureau’s senior meteorologist Angus Hines said despite Narelle’s downgrade, a “really strong weather system” would continue to impact central and southern WA throughout Saturday night.
The BoM is forecasting significant rainfall for the Gascoyne, mid-west and wheatbelt on Saturday. Hines said cumulative rainfall was likely to trigger flooding in eastern and central areas, with another 30 to 70 mm of rainfall expected on Saturday.
“We can still see strong winds of up to about 100 km per hour,” he said, “definitely enough to cause some damage…a few roofs or fences could knock down branches and cause power outages.”
Emergency alerts were downgraded across the state late Saturday morning. Isolated watch and take action warnings remain in place for parts of Perth, the mid-west, Gascoyne and west of Onslow to Coral Bay. Local people have been warned that there remains a possible threat to lives and homes and told to stay away from damaged buildings.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the efforts of emergency workers on Saturday and said the federal government was “standing ready to help” with the recovery.
“Our thoughts are with everyone in Western Australia at this time, but also those who continue to be affected in the Northern Territory and Queensland,” he said.
On Friday Narelle had moved south towards Coral Bay and made landfall just south of the town before weakening to a category three system. It then passed east of Carnarvon on Friday afternoon and continued to lose strength as it moved inland.
Carnarvon’s district chairman, Eddie Smith, described a “dense, pink dust storm” that covered the town for two hours as winds reached over 100km per hour.
Overnight winds reached 133 km/h at Carnarvon Airport and 122 km/h at Gascoyne Junction, while widespread rainfall totals of 70 to 100 mm were recorded in the Gascoyne area.
The resort town of Exmouth, 1,250km north of Perth, bore the brunt of the storm when it became a category four system. Winds exceeding 250 km per hour blew off the roofs of buildings and caused widespread flooding. In the dramatic incident on Friday, 50 people had to flee the city’s main evacuation center after the building was damaged by wind.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) commissioner Darren Klemm said damage was expected to be “significant” and emergency services would continue to work with local councils to assess what support they needed.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain told the ABC on Saturday morning that there were “extensive power outages, particularly in Exmouth and Carnarvon”, and estimated around 2,000 homes were without power.
“We know the system is weakening, but significant winds and heavy rain are still coming.”
Evacuation centers were open at Carnarvon PCYC, Shark Bay Recreation Centre, Activewest Stadium in Wonthella, Beechboro Community Center and Ningaloo Events Center in Exmouth.
