<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>338260</docID> <postdate>2025-02-14 09:22:55</postdate> <headline>‘Take shelter now’: Cyclone to hit coast in hours</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-338261" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/cyclone-resized-e1739482469769.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="507" /></p> <caption>Tropical Cyclone Zelia has rapidly intensified, with forecast wind gusts of more than 300km/h. Photo: Bureau of Meteorology</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Savannah Meacham and Fraser Barton</b> in Brisbane</span></p> <p><strong>A destructive cyclone is set to cross the coast of Australia in hours, with residents warned to shelter indoors immediately before wind gusts of more than 300km/h hit.</strong></p> <p>Tropical Cyclone Zelia is nearing Western Australia's Pilbara coast and is set to cross land near Port Hedland around 6pm local time on Friday possibly as a category five system.</p> <p>Shops, schools, roads and ports in WA's northwest have closed in preparation for the "dangerous" system, with people told to take shelter.</p> <p>A "shelter indoors now" alert has been issued for Pardoo Roadhouse to Whim Creek and west to Marble Bar.</p> <p>"It is too late to leave," the Bureau of Meteorology said.</p> <p>A "prepare to take shelter" alert is also in place for towns in the watch act zone spanning Whim Creek to Karratha, Dampier, inland to Tom Price, north to Eighty Mile Beach and east to Pardoo Roadhouse.</p> <p>If Zelia crosses as a category five, it will bring damaging and destructive wind gusts up to 320km/h near the centre of the weather system with heavy rainfall totals exceeding 500mm in a matter of hours.</p> <p>"This is extremely destructive winds, winds that powerful can take out trees, power lines and entire houses and really destroy anything in its path," meteorologist Angis Hines said on Friday.</p> <p>"This will be a very significant and damaging weather event wherever it does cross the coastline."</p> <p>There is also a significant storm tide forecast that can lead to flooding of coastal roads and homes.</p> <p>The approaching cyclone had already triggered flash flooding in the northwest, with reports of a road train washed off a Marble Bar bridge.</p> <p>Before the cyclone crosses the coast there will be wind gusts of 120km/h battering the Pilbara coast on Friday with Port Hedland already recording 80km/h speeds.</p> <p>Rainfall has already started ticking up with 90mm in the last 24 hours at Wallal Downs on top of the several 100mm falls in a matter of days in the lead-up to the cyclone.</p> <p>Mr Hines said some Pilbara towns have copped 400mm of rainfall this week.</p> <p>Pilbara coast residents reported the sky had already turned "super black" in the past day as they bunker down for the cyclone to hit.</p> <p>Carrie McDowell lives in Karratha which is in the cyclone watch zone with the 22,000-strong town warned to prepare to take shelter.</p> <p>"We've not had a category five while we lived here," Ms McDowell told AAP.</p> <p>"We had a category three in 2020 and that was really scary.</p> <p>"I'm a bit worried about flooding."</p> <p>Resources have been bolstered to prepare for evacuations, with a national fleet helicopter flying in from NSW.</p> <p>Another seven aircraft have been positioned around the region and extra flood boats sent to Port Hedland.</p> <p>Evacuation centres have been set up at Karratha and South Hedland, with major highways near Port Hedland and regional airports closed.</p> <p>"Impacts to secondary and unsealed roads are expected extensively across the Pilbara which will result in some communities being isolated," WA Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said.</p> <p>He said food, gas and diesel stocks in the region were strong.</p> </body>