‘It doesn’t get any worse than that’: Tropical Cyclone Zelia now category 5 as it heads closer to Karratha​on February 13, 2025 at 4:09 am

Tropical Cyclone Zelia has strengthened overnight and is now expected to be a category five system when it makes landfall on Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned the system, currently 140 kilometres offshore, is slow moving and intensifying off the Pilbara coast, with its core expected to cross near Port Hedland, between Whim Creek and De Grey.

Already a category four, the system is expected to bring with it destructive winds up to 250 kilometres an hour and dump more than 500 millimetres of rain in some areas.

Significant flooding is expected with the Great Northern Highway closing today at 10.30am. The Port Hedland port has also closed.

An evacuation centre has been set up in Port Hedland.

“There is great uncertainty as to where and when the very destructive inner core of the cyclone will cross the coast,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned.

“Zelia could cross the east Pilbara coast on Friday or it could move further west and cross the west Pilbara coast on Saturday.”

DFES Commisioner Darren Klemm said major roads into the region could be closed for weeks.

More to come.