Category 5 Cyclone Ilsa makes landfall in Australia with 180-mph winds
A weather station off the coast of Australia reported a wind gust of 180 mph as evacuations were underway on the country's northwestern coast. The late-week arrival of Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa will bring damaging winds and flooding.
As Cyclone Ilsa moves toward Western Australia, authorities have warned of violent winds and ordered evacuations on April 12.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa made landfall early Friday morning local time in Northwest Australia, between De Grey and Pardoo Roadhouse as a Category 4 storm (BOM's tropical cyclone scale) with 10-minute sustained winds of 171 mph, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM),
Ahead of the cyclone, the BOM had issued cyclone warnings, and evacuations were underway. Those who planned to stay behind have been told to expect damage from winds not experienced in the area in over a decade.
Damage is seen to the Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern in Pardoo, Western Australia, April 14, 2023. (AAP Image/Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern via Reuters)
Unofficial observations from Bedout Island, a small island home to a nature reserve off the northwestern coast of Australia, indicated winds gusted as high as 180 mph (289 km/h) on Thursday evening as the core of Ilsa passed by. The highest rainfall amount reported as of early Friday morning was 4.09 inches (104 mm) at Larrawa.
The BOM warned that the core of Ilsa would be "very destructive" as it makes landfall, and could contain wind gusts of up to 170 mph (about 270 km/h).
"Winds of this strength not only have the ability to bring down trees and power lines, but lift items from your yard and home," BOM Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told CNN.
"A destructive surge is expected along the coast between Bidyadanga and Port Hedland," added Nicholls. "The speed of the storm may limit rainfall farther inland, but there is a good chance for localized flooding over central Western Australia and the southern Northern Territory into far northern South Australia."
The red alert for Port Hedland was lifted by Friday morning and the town was given an all clear as the cyclone moved further inland, according to Channel 7 sunrise.
"The early signs are pretty good," Channel 7 reporter Rory Campbell said early Friday morning on Sunrise.
The region is a heavy iron ore mining area, especially around Port Hedland. Non-essential workers at those mines were already being moved out of the area, and vessels were being cleared from the port, due to the anticipated damaging winds and storm surge.
It has been over a decade since the last cyclone of a similar magnitude made landfall in this portion of northwestern Australia.
“The last Category 5 cyclone to strike northwestern Australia was Laurence in December of 2009”, said Nicholls. "Christine was the last Category 4 cyclone to make landfall in the area back in December 2013.”
While the western part of Australia will bear the brunt of the impacts from Ilsa, rainfall from the cyclone could make a trip across the continent over the weekend, according to AccuWeather forecasters. Moisture from Ilsa can eventually bring heavier rain to southeast Australia later Saturday into Sunday, but the risk of flooding there appears low.
Cyclone Ilsa making landfall in northwestern Australia early Friday, April 14, 2023. (AccuWeather RealVue™ Satellite)
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