Australia: Tropical cyclone Ilsa hits northwest coast

Australia's northwest coast was hit by Cyclone Ilsa on Friday, a Category 5 storm that set new windspeed records.

Ilsa set a new preliminary Australian 10-minute sustained windspeed record of 218 kilometers per hour (135 miles per hour) at Bedout Island, about 40 km offshore. This record eclipsed Cyclone George's 194 km at the same location in 2007, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The storm was downgraded by the weather bureau to a Category 3 system after it crossed the coast. However, officials warned the system could still pack gusts of up to about 200 km per hour.

The storm made landfall early Friday morning with the highest intensity rating on a 1-to-5 scale and then moved inland. Port Hedland, the world's biggest iron ore export point, was closed on Thursday, and port authorities began clearing berths as the cyclone gathered pace over the Indian Ocean. 

The port is used by BHP Group, Fortescue, and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.

Emergency crews urged several remote communities in the storm's path to seek shelter and remain indoors.

Where is Ilsa headed?

"As it moves inland and the sun comes up, we can expect it to still be a severe tropical cyclone," said Shenagh Gamble, the weather bureau's hazard response manager.

Heavy bursts of rain are forecast in some areas, likely triggering flash floods. Destructive winds could hit the remote inland mining town of Telfer, where Newcrest Mining operates a fly-in-fly-out gold and copper mine.

Western Australia state emergency services superintendent Peter Sutton said, "Port Hedland ... escaped the brunt of the cyclone at this stage. Overnight, we received no calls for assistance. So it appears the larger populated areas have really escaped the damage."

While populated regions seem to have been left relatively unscathed, some remote towns reportedly suffered extensive damage. Authorities are expected to conduct an aerial survey to determine the extent of the destruction.

tg/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters)