26/03/2026
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TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 71
4pm Update
Headline:
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, category 4, to bring severe impacts to the west Pilbara and Gascoyne coasts from tonight.
Areas affected:
Warning zone: Port Hedland to Northampton, including Karratha, Onslow, Exmouth, Coral Bay, Carnarvon and Denham, and extending inland to Pannawonica and Murchison.
Watch zone: South of Northampton to Jurien Bay, including Geraldton, and extending inland to Yalgoo and Dalwallinu.
Cancelled zones: None.
Details of Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle 34U at 4:00 pm AWST:
Intensity: 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 19.8 degrees South, 115.2 degrees East , 200 kilometres west northwest of Karratha and 260 kilometres north northeast of Exmouth .
Movement: southwest at 18 kilometres per hour .
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, category 4, is forecast to strengthen further this evening as it approaches the NW Cape.
Narelle is moving southwest, roughly parallel to the Pilbara coast. Narelle is larger than usual and although the cyclone is located well north of the Pilbara, gales extend to the coast.
On Friday, Narelle will turn towards the south, likely passing close to the North West Cape as a category 4 cyclone.
It is likely the far western Pilbara coast will experience severe impacts this evening and overnight, extending south to Denham during Friday.
On Saturday Narelle is expected to be weakening as it moves quickly to the south southeast with impacts extending to the Central West and then further inland and south across the South West Land Division. During Saturday the strongest winds are expected to be on the eastern side of the system.
Hazards:
VERY DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS up to 275 km/h may develop between Exmouth and Onslow later this evening as Narelle moves closer to the North West Cape, and then extend down the west coast to Cape Cuvier during Friday morning. Carnarvon could see wind gusts up to 200 km/h during Friday, and wind gusts up to 180 km/h could extend to Denham late Friday or early Saturday.
DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS in excess of 125 km/h may occur on the Pilbara coast between Karratha and Mardie, extending west to Exmouth during this afternoon, and south to Carnarvon and then to Denham and the Overlander Roadhouse during Friday. DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS in excess of 125 km/h may extend to Kalbarri and inland parts later Friday and possibly as far south as Morawa early Saturday morning.
GALES with DAMAGING WIND GUSTS to 120 km/h are occurring near the coast between west of Munda Station to Mardie, including Karratha. Periods of gales are possible east to Port Hedland during this afternoon. Gales will develop west to Exmouth during this afternoon and evening and extend further south to Kalbarri and inland to the Overlander Roadhouse and possibly to Murchison during Friday. Gales may extend south to Jurien Bay and inland to Dalwallinu during Saturday morning.
HEAVY RAINFALL which may lead to FLASH FLOODING is possible in western parts of the Pilbara and Gascoyne as Narelle moves past. Areas of INTENSE RAINFALL that may lead to SEVERE FLASH FLOODING is likely to develop about the western Pilbara west of about Onslow overnight and Friday morning, before extending further south into the northwestern Gascoyne later Friday morning.
Coastal residents between Onslow and Denham are specifically warned of a DANGEROUS STORM TIDE as the cyclone moves south down the Gascoyne coast. Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide, with DAMAGING WAVES and DANGEROUS FLOODING.
Tides will be higher than normal between Port Hedland and Onslow. LARGE WAVES may produce MINOR FLOODING of low-lying coastal areas.
