Cyclone Ilsa spared populated regions, including the world's largest iron ore export hub. However, there are reports of extensive damage in remote towns, as the storm system moves inland.
Authorities urged people in remote communities to take shelter after the tropical cyclone made landfall in northwestern Australia Image: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology/AP/picture alliance
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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.
Emergency workers sandbagged buildings in Port Hedland and urged locals to stay indoorsImage: Australian Broadcasting Corporation/AP/picture alliance
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)
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
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Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
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A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
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A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
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Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
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Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
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As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
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Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
