Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia - Updates and information

Emergency WA

Flood Watch and Act

Where: Sandy Desert catchment, including Telfer.

You need to prepare for isolation as flooding is occurring. There is a possible threat to lives and homes due to dangerous, widespread flooding. Water will be fast flowing and levels will rise quickly.

What to do

• Never walk, swim or play in floodwaters as they are dangerous.
• Watch for changes in water levels so you are ready to leave if it becomes safe to do so.
• Finalise your emergency kit. It should include enough canned food and water to last for five to seven days, as well as clothing, important documents such as identification and insurance papers, medication, cash and a battery-operated radio to listen to warnings.
• Secure loose objects and outdoor equipment where possible.
• To help protect you from debris in the water and mosquito-borne risks, make sure everyone in your family is wearing strong shoes like sneakers or boots and suitable long, loose fitting clothing.
• Follow directions from emergency services personnel.
• If you find it hard to move quickly, you should leave now for a safer place.
• This may be with family and friends away from the area.
• Find out more about what to do before and during a flood visit Emergency WA for preparation information.
• If driving: Floodways and river levels may rise rapidly, damaging roads and bridges and making driving dangerous.
• Do not drive into floodwaters.
• Obey road closure signs.
• Take care on gravel and unsealed roads as they may be slippery and muddy, and you could get bogged.
• If your car stalls in rising water, abandon it immediately and seek shelter above floodwater.

Saturday 15 February 2025, 12.42pm

Emergency WA

Flood watch and act

The Bureau of Meterology have advised river levels peaked at Marble Bar Road crossing along the Coongan and Shaw Rivers early Saturday with major flooding, following intense rain associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia.

The flood water is now approaching Coolenar Pool on the De Grey River where a major flood peak similar to the March 2000 flood is expected Saturday afternoon or evening.

River level rises and areas of flooding may adversely affect road conditions. Some roads may become impassable and communities may become isolated. Significant disruption of transportation network and extensive road closures are expected.

A flood watch is current for the Fortescue River, Onslow Coast, Ashburton River, Gascoyne River, and parts of the Sandy Desert catchment.

The situation is being monitored closely and warnings will be updated as required.

Download the Emergency WA app or head to Department of Fire and Emergency Services for the latest updates.

Emergency WA

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia dissipating over the inland Pilbara

• Tropical Low, sustained winds near the centre of 55 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 85 kilometres per hour.
• Location: estimated to be 30 kilometres south southwest of Marble Bar and 75 kilometres northwest of Nullagine.
• Movement: south at 8 kilometres per hour.

Details

• Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia is below cyclone intensity and is continuing to weaken as it moves slowly south and further inland through the eastern Pilbara.
  
• Heavy Rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is occurring to the south of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia. A severe weather warning is current for the southeast Pilbara and northeast Gascoyne.
• Flood watches and warnings are current for catchments in the Pilbara, western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne. 

What to do now

If you see an electrical fault or hazard like a fallen powerline always stay 10m away and call us on 13 23 51. Download the Emergency WA app. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000.

Friday 14 February 2025, 4pm
Emergency WA

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia now moving to the south over the inland eastern Pilbara. Severe winds to ease at Port Hedland this evening.

Warning Zone

Wallal Downs to Whim Creek, including Port Hedland, and extending inland to Marble Bar, Nullagine, and Munjina .

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia

• Category 3: sustained winds near the centre of 150 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 205 kilometres per hour.
• Location: within 20 kilometres of 20.4 degrees South 119.3 degrees East, estimated to be 75 kilometres east southeast of Port Hedland and 95 kilometres north northwest of Marble Bar.
• Movement: south southeast at 17 kilometres per hour.

Details

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall at 12:30pm near De Grey River mouth, northeast of Port Hedland at category 4 intensity. Zelia will now take a general southerly track overland and weaken. Intense rainfall is expected near and to the east of the centre of the cyclone.

Hazards

• Very destructive wind gusts of up to 200 kilometres per hour are likely within 30 kilometres of the centre of the cyclone but Port Hedland lies outside this region. Wind gusts near the centre will reduce this afternoon and tonight.
• Destructive wind gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour are occurring in coastal and adjacent inland areas between Port Hedland and Pardoo, moving through inland areas near the track and possibly impacting Marble Bar for a period tonight.
• Gales with damaging wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour are occurring on the coast between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland but should ease tonight. Damaging wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour should also extend to inland areas to Marble Bar later tonight and possibly to Nullagine and Munjina Saturday morning.
• Heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is occurring across coastal and adjacent inland areas between Wallal Downs and Whim Creek, extending inland to Marble Bar and Nullagine overnight.
• Flood watches and warnings are also current for catchments in the Pilbara, western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne. 

There is no longer a risk of a storm tide at Port Hedland. Tides to the east of Port Hedland to Wallal Downs are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark.

Friday 14 January 2025, 2pm
Emergency WA

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia now moving to the south over the inland eastern Pilbara. Port Hedland experiencing severe winds but has avoided the very destructive core of the cyclone.

Warning zone

Wallal Downs to Whim Creek, including Port Hedland, and extending inland to Marble Bar, Nullagine, and Munjina

Cancelled zones

Inland southern Pilbara including Paraburdoo and Tom Price

Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia 18U at 2pm:

• Category 4: sustained winds near the centre of 175 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 250 kilometres per hour.
• Location: within 20 kilometres of 20.2 degrees South, 119.1 degrees East , 55 kilometres east northeast of Port Hedland and 130 kilometres north northwest of Marble Bar.
• Movement: south southeast at 16 kilometres per hour.
• Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall at 12:30pm near De Grey River mouth, northeast of Port Hedland at category 4 intensity.
• Zelia will now take a general southerly track overland and weaken. Intense rainfall is expected near and to the east of the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.

Hazards

• VERY DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS of up to 250 kilometres per hour are likely within 30 kilometres of the centre of the cyclone but Port Hedland lies outside this region. Wind gusts near the centre will reduce this afternoon and tonight.
• DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS of up to 160 kilometres per hour are likely in coastal areas between Port Hedland and Pardoo this afternoon then moving to inland areas near the track for a period tonight.
• Gales with DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 kilometres per hour are occurring on the coast between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland but should ease tonight.
• DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 kilometres per hour should also extend to inland areas, possibly including Marble Bar, Nullagine and Munjina Saturday morning.
• HEAVY to LOCALLY INTENSE RAINFALL which may lead to FLASH FLOODING is likely today across coastal and adjacent inland areas between Wallal Downs and Whim Creek, extending inland to Nullagine and Tom Price by early Saturday.
• Flood Watches and Warnings are also current for catchments in the Pilbara, western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne.

No longer storm tide risk for Port Hedland

There is no longer a risk of a storm tide at Port Hedland. Tides to the east of Port Hedland to Wallal Downs are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark.

Friday 14 February 2025, 12pm
Emergency WA

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia to make landfall just east of Port Hedland this afternoon

Warning Zone

 
Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia 18U

• Category 5: Sustained winds near the centre of 205 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 285 kilometres per hour.
• Location: within 20 kilometres of 19.8 degrees South 118.8 degrees East, estimated to be 65 kilometres north northeast of Port Hedland and 185 kilometres north northwest of Marble Bar.
• Movement: southeast at 11 kilometres per hour.

Overview

• Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia (category 5) is about to make landfall near DeGrey River mouth to the east of Port Hedland.
• Zelia will then take a general southerly track overland and weaken.
• Intense rainfall is expected near and to the east of the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.

Very destructive wind gusts, intense rainfall and flooding

• Very destructive wind gusts of up to 290 kilometres per hour are likely close to the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast later this afternoon.
• Destructive wind gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour are likely to develop in coastal areas east of Whim Creek to De Grey, including Port Hedland by early afternoon.
• Gales with damaging wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour to 120 kilometres per hour are occurring on the coast between Pardoo and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland.
• Gales with damaging wind gusts to 90 kilometres per hour may extend to other areas along the coast between Wallal Downs and east of Roebourne, if the track deviates from forecast. 
• Damaging wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour may also extend to inland areas, possibly including Marble Bar, Nullagine, or Tom Price and Paraburdoo, from early Saturday
• Heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is likely today across coastal and adjacent inland areas between Wallal Downs and Whim Creek, extending inland to Nullagine and Tom Price by early Saturday.
  
• Flood watches and warnings are also current for catchments in the Pilbara, western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne.

• Read the full update at Emergency WA online.

Dangerous storm tide: Port Hedland

• Residents in Port Hedland and east to Wallal Downs are specifically warned of the potential of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast.
• However, the more recent motion to the southeast decreases the risk of the storm tide at Port Hedland for the noon high today.
• Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and dangerous flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline.

What to do now

Ensure you know what to do in a cyclone. If you see an electrical fault or hazard like a fallen powerline always stay 10m away and call us on 13 23 51. Download the Emergency WA app. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000.

View cyclone on a map

View a map showing the track of the cyclone at the Bureau of Meteorology website. 

Thursday 13 February 2025, 9pm
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA

Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia 18U

• Category 5: Sustained winds near the centre of 205 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 285 kilometres per hour.
• Location: estimated to be 120 kilometres north northwest of Port Hedland and 210 kilometres northeast of Karratha.
• Movement: slow moving.

Further details

• Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia  is slow moving to the north of Port Hedland.
• Destructive wind gusts are likely for communities on the Pilbara coast from as early as Friday morning but more likely during Friday afternoon as Zelia nears the coast.
• The very destructive inner core of the cyclone will most likely cross the coast between De Grey and Karratha during Friday afternoon or evening.
• Heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is likely overnight and during Friday across coastal and adjacent inland areas between Wallal Downs and Karratha, extending west to Mardie and inland to Nullagine and Tom Price by early Saturday. 
• Flood Watch is also current for catchments in the Pilbara, western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne.
• Read the full update at Emergency WA online.

What to do now

Ensure you know what to do in a cyclone. If you see an electrical fault or hazard like a fallen powerline always stay 10m away and call us on 13 23 51. Download the Emergency WA app. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000.

Next update

Department of Fire and Emergency Services will deliver further advice by 9pm, Thursday 13 February. View a map showing the track of the cyclone at the Bureau of Meteorology website. 

Thursday 13 February 2025, 5pm
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA

Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia 18U at 5pm

• Category 5: sustained winds near the centre of 205 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 285 kilometres per hour.
• Location: within 20 kilometres of 19.3 degrees South 118.3 degrees East, estimated to be 115 kilometres north northwest of Port Hedland and 220 kilometres northeast of Karratha.
• Movement: slow moving.

Further details

• Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is slow moving to the north of Port Hedland.
• The very destructive inner core of the cyclone will most likely cross the coast between De Grey and Karratha during Friday afternoon or evening.
• Heavy rainfall is expected on the coast overnight and during Friday.
• Rainfall will become intense near and to the east of the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.

What to do now

Ensure you know what to do in a cyclone. If you see an electrical fault or hazard like a fallen powerline always stay 10m away and call us on 13 23 51. Download the Emergency WA app. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000.

Next update

Department of Fire and Emergency Services will deliver further advice by 9pm, Thursday 13 February. View a map showing the track of the cyclone at the Bureau of Meteorology website. 

Thursday 13 February 2025, 8.48am
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia 18U

• Category 4: Sustained winds near the centre of 185 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 290 kilometres per hour.
• Location: within 20 kilometres of 19.0 degrees South 118.1 degrees East, estimated to be 155 kilometres north northwest of Port Hedland and 235 kilometres northeast of Karratha.
• Movement: slow moving.

Further details

As at 8.48 am WST on Thursday 13 February 2025, the Bureau of Meteorology advised Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia (category 4) is intensifying rapidly and now expected to reach category 5 intensity today. It is forecast to remain slow moving to the north of Port Hedland today before moving south to the coast on Friday.

Zelia is forecast to bring destructive wind gusts to communities on the Pilbara coast from as early as later tonight but more likely Friday as Zelia nears the coast. The very destructive inner core of the cyclone will most likely cross the coast between Karratha and De Grey (near Port Hedland) on Friday afternoon or night, although a later crossing further west is possible.

Heavy rainfall is expected on the coast during the next couple of days and falls will be intense near and to the east of the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.

• Destructive wind gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour may develop for coastal and island areas between Whim Creek to Wallal Downs including Port Hedland later tonight as Zelia moves closer to the coast. DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS are more likely from Friday between De Grey and Mardie including Karratha, Dampier and Port Hedland as Zelia tracks towards the coast.
• Very destructive wind gusts of up to 290 kilometres per hour are likely close to the centre of the cyclone as it crosses the coast.
• Heavy to locally intense rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding is likely during today across coastal and adjacent inland areas between Whim Creek and Bidyadanga, extending west to Mardie and inland to Nullagine during Friday.
• Residents between Karratha and Bidyadanga including Port Hedland are specifically warned of the potential of a dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre crosses the coast. Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and dangerous flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline.

As Zelia approaches the coast, a storm tide is expected between Wallal Downs and Port Hedland during Thursday and into Friday. Large waves may produce minor flooding along the foreshore. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to help their neighbours.

We know many of our customers are not directly affected by Tropical Cyclone Zelia, but you may experience a power outage in the coming days.

For safety reasons we may need to isolate or switch off sections of the network if:

• power infrastructure is under water or damaged; or
• if people come too close to our infrastructure.

As flood waters may move through the Pilbara over the next few days, there may be further outages. Read our tips on how to prepare for an outage.

We have crews on standby to assist with faults where it is safe to do so. Sometimes we can turn the power back on remotely, but there are times when we need to visually inspect our infrastructure. This is to identify any damage and ensure it is safe to restore power.

We apologise for the inconvenience but keeping everyone safe is our priority. The high water levels mean that people travelling in boats could be close to powerlines or our infrastructure, and are at risk.

To keep up to date on outages in your area including estimated restoration times - use our outage finder or download the app.

It’s difficult to give a specific answer to these right now. We know this may be frustrating however we always put the safety of the community and our employees first and we need to assess the areas impacted first.

When there is an outage, there are many factors that determine how quickly we can turn the power back on. This includes having safe access to our powerlines and infrastructure or to damaged homes and businesses.

Once the cyclone passes, our crews will start the process of inspecting infrastructure, to identify any damage due to water or debris and ensure it’s safe to turn the power on.

When it’s safe to do so, we'll restore power to affected customers and communities as soon as we can.

Remember, never try to turn your power back on if you are not sure it is safe to do so.

When we respond after an emergency weather event, we will must first ensure any site is safe for our crews and for the community.

We then assess the damage and prioritise the order of repairs so power to the greatest number of customers can be restored as soon as possible, along with power to essential health and community services.

Once we complete the repairs, the typical sequence in the restoration process is as follows (with some occurring simultaneously):

1. Essential services 
   Efforts to restore power to emergency service and critical community infrastructure is a priority - such as hospitals, police, ambulance, fire brigade and water treatment facilities.
2. High voltage lines
   Bulk transmission lines are the backbone of the network, supplying power to many customers across a large geographic area.
3. Localised faults
   Affects clusters of homes and businesses and involves distribution powerlines which connect to individual locations such as powerlines in local streets.
4. Individual homes and businesses
   When network repairs are completed, service lines that connect power to individual homes and businesses are repaired.

After a cyclone, flooding presents a number of safety challenges for our teams to reconnect power to a community safely. Your safety means everything to us and we thank you for your patience as we work hard to restore power to your community as quickly as we can.

Download our fact sheet about reconnecting power after flood damage

Fact Sheet - Restoring your power after flood damage (PDF 84.3KB)