EMERGENCY services expect significant flooding as Tropical Cyclone Rusty makes its way inland from Western Australia's Pilbara coast.
The eye of the massive storm hit land just before 3pm (WST), more than 30 hours after the northwest coastline was placed on red alert and residents told to take shelter and stay inside.
Pardoo station, about 120km east of Port Hedland, was the first to feel the force of Rusty.
Port Hedland, which was initially expected to bear the brunt of the storm, appeared to have come off relatively unscathed, after the cyclone took a last minute turn before making landfall.
On Wednesday evening, communities between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and South Hedland, remained on red alert and were advised to remain in shelter.
People in adjacent inland areas, including Marble Bar, were warned to go to shelter immediately as the cyclone headed their way, threatening 125km/h wind gusts early on Thursday.
Rusty will gradually weaken as it moves inland, but wind gusts of more than 165km/h are expected near the eye of the cyclone on Wednesday night, when the threat of a dangerous storm tide remains for the coast between De Grey and Wallal.
Cyclone Rusty is crossing WA's Pilbara coast this afternoon and is still packing 200km/h winds despite weakening, after dumping 450mm of rain on Pardoo.
Flooding is expected in the De Grey catchment, and possibly in the Fortescue catchment and in Pilbara coastal streams, on Thursday.
EARLIER: The massive system has weakened to a Category 3 system as it tracks inland and east away from Port Hedland, but threatens to bring 200km/h winds, floods and a huge storm tide.
That put it on a path towards Pardoo, around 120km east of Port Hedland and 121km north of Marble Bar, and its rain gauge has already had 250mm of rain since 9am, after copping 200m yesterday.
Residents, who had already been under red alert lockdown for more than 24 hours, have been told they may have to stay sheltered until at least Friday, with floods and winds set to leave a trail of destruction across the Pilbara.
The Facebook page of Pardoo Station said there had been some slight damage, but they were braced for more.
"We are all holed up in the Homestead where the walls are so thick that if you closed the curtains you wouldn't even know it was going on!'' said a post.
"Have lost the roof to our car port and water damage to another building so far, hoping it doesn't reach a Cat 5!''
Figures from NASA satellites tracking the monster storm make for frightening reading, with their Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument showing thunderstorms with cloud-top temperatures colder than minus 52 degrees Celsius surrounding the eye of the storm.
The TRMM satellite, which flew directly over Rusty on Tuesday, recorded rainfall of over 138mm per hour near Rusty's western eye wall.
A 3D image of Rusty's rainfall and cloud heights created at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland showed the tops of some of the towering thunderstorms in Rusty's eye reaching heights of more than 12km.
Neil Bennett from the Bureau of Meteorology said the eye was just about to reach the coast, but the storm was still creeping over land at about 5km/h - meaning fierce gales and torrential rain were likely to last for hours.
Flood alerts were also still in place for inland areas including Marble Bar and Nullagine.
Figures from NASA satellites tracking the monster storm are frightening - their Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument shows thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures colder than minus 52C surrounding the eye of the storm.
2PM UPDATE
At 2pm, Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty, Category 3 was estimated to be 110km east northeast of Port Hedland and 155km north of Marble Bar, moving south southeast at 6km/h towards the coast.
The BOM states: "Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty is crossing the coast to the east of De Grey. The centre is expected to move over land late this afternoon.
"Port Hedland will escape Rusty's worst winds, which are occuring on the coast between De Grey and Pardoo. Wind gusts in excess of 165 kilometres per hour are occuring in that area.
"Gales are continuing in Port Hedland and extend east along the coast to Wallal. Gales will extend inland towards Marble Bar during this evening, and may reach Nullagine overnight."
Share your photos and information on Cyclone Rusty on email or tweet us here
RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category four storm with 230km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast.
The TRMM satellite, which flew directly over Rusty on Tuesday, recorded rainfall of over 138mm per hour near Rusty's western eye wall.
And a 3-D image of Rusty's rainfall and cloud heights created at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland showed the tops of some of the towering thunderstorms in Rusty's eye reaching heights of over 12km.
"Destructive winds with gusts in excess of 125km/h are occurring along the coast in the vicinity of De Grey and Pardoo, and could reach Marble Bar overnight,'' the Bureau said.
"Very destructive winds with gusts in excess of 165km/h are likely in the vicinity of De Grey and Pardoo during the afternoon and evening as Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty approaches the coast.''
Port Hedland deputy mayor George Daccache says the winds and rain are relentless.
"It is pretty windy, and it has been relentless for the past two or three days. I don't see us having any sunshine for a while,'' Mr Daccache said.
"We are riding out the storm the best we can but we have been on alert since last Friday and looks like we will be on Red for another day or so.
"The storm surge is our biggest worry. We are going to cop our fair share. We are doing the best to make sure the town is secure.''
Rusty sat almost stationary overnight, 130km north-northeast of Port Hedland, with the exact crossing location and time still a mystery. Forecasters are confident it will cross the Pilbara coast this evening.
"It is important that residents understand that dangerous conditions will commence well before the system centre reaches the coast and extend some distance from the centre,'' Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Neil Bennett said.
The last severe cyclone to cross the Pilbara coast was Lua in March 2012, which travelled between Pardoo and Wallal as a category four, with maximum gusts of 230km/h.
Ian Badger, the manager of Pardoo Roadhouse, has told ABC radio his staff have been sent to Broome and he is braving the storm on his own.
"Everything is pretty wet, the whole yard is covered with water, it is like a lake everywhere,'' Mr Badger said.
Rainfall totals to 9am (WST) today include 189mm at Yarrie, with the De Grey River catchment expected to experience totals in excess of 200mm.
Port Hedland personality Wayne Ness lost his house to a cyclone in 2007, when category-five George ripped through the area, killing two people at a rail construction camp.
"Yesterday morning I heard a familiar sound of rippling tin,'' Mr Ness said.
"My heart was palpitating like you wouldn't believe and I had the shakes really bad.''
Residents between Pardoo and Whim Creek on WA's North West coast, including Port Hedland, are bracing for the worst as the destructive tropical cyclone bears down on their remote communities.
Overnight Rusty intensified to a Category four but remained virtually stationary off the coast, about 130km north-east of Port Hedland.
RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category four storm with 230km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast.
Dozens of people who live in low-lying areas of Port Hedland have relocated to the town's cyclone shelter as the large, slow-moving storm closes in on the town.
NASA's Terra satellite has taken images from space of Rusty as it approaches the coast, with satellite data reporting the storm developing an eye 20 nautical miles wide.
Port Hedland has been battered for nearly 24 hours with winds gusts up to 120km/h but there has been little major damage.
Rainfall totals of 187mm at Yarrie have been recorded in the 24 hours to 9am today, though.it is likely there have heavier falls near the coast between De Grey and Pardoo.
Port Hedland has had 52mm of rain in the past 24 hours.
Because of the size of the storm, gales are occurring across a wide area between the Sandfire Roadhouse and Whim Creek, while destructive winds extend from Port Hedland to Wallal.
RED ALERT: Tropical Cyclone Rusty has intensified to a category four storm with 230km/h winds at its centre and is bearing down on the Pilbara coast.
"This is a large tropical cyclone and its slow movement is likely to result in an extended period of destructive winds near the track, with rainfall that is heavier than that associated with a typical system,'' the Bureau warns.
"Widespread very heavy rainfall today and on Thursday is likely to lead to major flooding in the DeGrey catchment. Significant flooding is also likely in the Fortescue catchment and in Pilbara coastal streams.
"Rusty has been near stationary this morning but is expected to resume a southerly track towards the Pilbara coast during the day.
"The slow motion and large size of Rusty means that the destructive and very destructive winds will occur on the coast well before the centre crosses the coast, and will extend some distance from the centre. Wind gusts to 120km/h have already been experienced in Port Hedland over the last 24 hours, and conditions there may get slowly worse during the day.
"Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty's intensity, size and slow movement is also likely to lead to a very dangerous storm tide. Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and very dangerous coastal inundation.''
The last severe cyclone to cross the Pilbara coast was TC Lua in March last year. Lua crossed the coast on March 17th between Pardoo and Wallal as a Category four, with maximum gusts estimated to be 230 km/h.
PORT HEDLAND STREETS EMPTY
With residents heeding warnings to stay safe, the streets are empty, as are supermarket shelves after a rush to prepare for Rusty's arrival.
Catch up with Channel 9's Sally Ayhan for local weather and a sneak peek into what to expect over the next 24 hours.
"It's going to be a pain waiting for two to three days for this to come and go,'' Mr Daccache said.
"We've just to hang in there hour by hour, and batten down the hatches.''
Mr Daccache said he was most concerned about an expected storm tide, which threatens to inundate the lower-lying western part of the town.
Many homes had lost power, but most residents were staying at emergency shelters.
EMERGENCY MEASURES
The Andrew McLaughlin Community Centre in Keesing Street in Port Hedland has been opened for people who are forced from their homes.
STORM FRONT: Barrow Island is in lockdown as Cyclone Rusty threatens the Pilbara coast. This Twitter picture was taken on Sunday by Cristy-Lee Macqueen
In Port Hedland, shops were being sandbagged as water and tinned food flew off the shelves.
Bottleshops were reporting big queues as locals prepared for Rusty's arrival. Port Hedland's airport was shut at 9pm yesterday, with all commercial flights cancelled.
The port has also shut down for at least the rest of the week.
Mining giant Rio Tinto said it had prepared for the storm by closing the Port Walcott port at Cape Lambert and was finishing up ship-loading at its Dampier ports.
Virgin cancelled flights from Perth to Broome today, and local businesses reported people were dashing to buy water and tinned food as the storm approached.
WIDESPREAD DOWNPOURS
Dramatic video footage emerges from WA as tropical cyclone Rusty nears landfall on the Pilbara coast.
Pardoo Roadhouse, about 140km east of Port Hedland, has recorded a massive 200mm in 24 hours to 9am yesterday and has also been buffeted by strong winds.
Bidyadanga, north-east of Broome, had 137mm to 9am yesterday and stations throughout the Kimberley have recorded in excess of 200mm in recent days.
Pardoo Roadhouse manager Ian Badger told ABC radio it had been raining steadlily since Monday. He said there had already been minor flooding and about six trees had been blown down.
"Everything is pretty wet, the whole yard is covered with water, it is like a lake everywhere. There is a little bit of water coming in (the roadhouse) and half a dozen trees have already come down,'' he said.
"It is not going to be good, this one.''
CYCLONE WARNING DETAILS
RED ALERT: People in or near communities between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland and South Hedland should remain in shelter.
YELLOW ALERT: People in communities between Wallal and Pardoo, extending inland to Marble Bar and Nullagine need to take action and get ready to shelter from a cyclone.
BLUE ALERT: People in communities between Sandfire and Wallal and between Nullagine and Newman, need to prepare for cyclonic weather.
ALL CLEAR: People in Bidyadanga and in communities from Dampier to Whim Creek, including Karratha, Pt Samson, Wickham, Roebourne and Millstream are advised that the cyclone danger has passed.
Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Rusty at 2pm WST:
.Centre located near...... 19.8 degrees South 119.5 degrees East
.Location accuracy........ within 20 kilometres
.Recent movement.......... towards the south southeast at 6 kilometres per hour
.Wind gusts near centre... 205 kilometres per hour and weakening
.Severity category........ 3
.Central pressure......... 952 hectoPascals
SECOND STORM BREWS
Meanwhile, a second potential cyclone was developing to the southeast of the Cocos Islands. It will be named Sandra if it becomes a cyclone, however it is unlikely to affect the Cocos Islands.
Channel 9's Sally Ayhan on what Perth can expect from Cyclone Rusty
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Several schools will remain closed for the rest of the week, including:
• Hedland Senior High School
• Port Hedland Primary School
• Port Hedland School of the Air
• Cassia Primary School
• Cassia Education Support Centre
• Baler Primary School
• South Hedland Primary School
• Pilbara Behaviour Centre.
Three other schools have also been closed due to the risk of flooding:
• Yandeyarra Remote Community School (in the Shire of Port Hedland)
• Marble Bar Primary School (in the Shire of East Pilbara)
• Nullagine Primary School (in the Shire of East Pilbara
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Pardoo faces Rusty's full force as Port Hedland spared
Dengan url
http://ichancibby.blogspot.com/2013/02/pardoo-faces-rustys-full-force-as-port.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Pardoo faces Rusty's full force as Port Hedland spared
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Pardoo faces Rusty's full force as Port Hedland spared
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar