Overview
- Narelle, re-formed off the Kimberley on Tuesday, strengthened to a category 3 cyclone on Wednesday and is forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology to peak at category 4 on Thursday, with a brief category 5 phase not ruled out.
- Current guidance shows a southward turn on Friday and a likely coastal crossing late Friday night or early Saturday near Shark Bay between Carnarvon and Kalbarri as a severe category 3 system.
- After landfall, the system is expected to track inland across the Wheatbelt east of Perth, bringing widespread rain to the metro area over the weekend, though the degree of wind damage risk for the city remains uncertain.
- Warnings and watch/act alerts cover large stretches of the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne, ports are being cleared, SES crews are laying sandbags in towns like Denham, tourists are leaving Exmouth and Shark Bay, and several Perth events are being moved or cancelled.
- Forecasters warn of destructive gusts up to 140–275 km/h near Karratha, Exmouth and Onslow, large waves and storm tides, 100–200 mm of rain around the North West Cape, and 40–100 mm in Perth Friday into Saturday, which could trigger flash flooding.