OMEN
03-30-2006, 08:49 AM
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Progress ... Glenda's path down the WA coast / Eirik Wallem Fossan
THE cyclone bearing down on northern Western Australia is bigger than the storm that flattened Darwin in 1974 and about as powerful as the cyclone that devastated north Queensland last week.
Cyclone Glenda was today lashing the Pilbara coastline with destructive gales, as its eye threatens to cross the coast this evening just west of Karratha and Dampier, about 1540 km north of Perth.
Wind gusts of up to 280km/h had been recorded near the centre of category four Glenda, which could grow stronger before it crosses the coast, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Bruce Buckley said.
"It could intensify just a touch, and it could briefly reach category five, but it is more likely to cross the coast as a category four," Mr Buckley said.
Glenda is the third, and the biggest, cyclone to impact the Pilbara region this season, and is on a par with category five Larry which created disaster areas across north Queensland last week.
"The difference is miniscule. We've got Glenda as a very high category four and analysis shows Larry was a very high four or low category five when it crossed, so they are definitely in the same ballpark," he said.
Glenda is probably a slightly larger cyclone in terms of the physical size of it."
Glenda is also bigger than cyclone Tracy which flattened Darwin in 1974.
"Tracy was an extremely small system, Glenda is a much larger system, affecting a much greater area, and it is a stronger cyclone than Tracy was as well."
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia today issued a red alert for people in the low-lying areas of Karratha, Roebourne, Point Samson, Wickham, Dampier and Mardie.
FESA operations area manager Jim Cahill said it was too dangerous to venture outside and evacuations in those areas had been been halted.
"We are asking people to stay indoors and to seek shelter," he said.
"The cyclone is basically very close and there are extreme winds and a lot of danger. If people haven't evacuated by now, it's probably a bit late."
The town of Mardie, 120km west of Karratha, is also facing the prospect of floods with the land waterlogged from rain brought by other recent cyclones.
Station manager at Mardie, Richard Climas, said today he was hoping the eye of the storm would pass directly over Mardie, which would spare his station from the worst of the cyclone's destructive effects. "At the moment there is a 50km eye and there is probably about 20km of really, really destructive winds," said Mr Climas.
Dampier's port has seen wind speeds increase to 60 knots this morning with seas packing a 3-4m swell inside the harbour, according to the Dampier Harbour master, Vic Justice.
"At this stage, the cyclone has altered course is travelling south-south west, towards Dampier," said Mr Justice. He had closed the port at 12.45am yesterday, which gave ships sufficient time to sail through cyclone's path to calmer waters. "Seven fully-loaded ships sailed at this time, in a staggered order," said Mr Justice by phone at 12pm AEDT (9am AWST).
Dampier, which has been hit by 5 tropical storms this year, has a cyclone plan which also involved sending ships moored outside the harbour, as well as support craft to offshore cyclone moorings.
NEWS.com.au reader and Karratha resident Richard Jehle described the situation in the town by email today. "We started to feel the effects of Glenda yesterday," Mr Jehle wrote. "About 9pm last night the rain started and has not stopped. Around 10pm the wind started to gradually pick up to what we now see as Gale Force Winds. At this point it is not as bad as (Cyclone) Clare was but we are waiting for it to get worse."
Glenda is the sixth cyclone of the WA cyclone season, which runs between November and April.
It is among the strongest ever to hit WA, as powerful as Bobby and Orson.
Category four cyclone Bobby passed near Onslow in 1995, damaging homes and causing widespread flooding.
Category five Orson passed near Dampier in 1989, causing widespread structural damage at Pannawonica.
AAP
Progress ... Glenda's path down the WA coast / Eirik Wallem Fossan
THE cyclone bearing down on northern Western Australia is bigger than the storm that flattened Darwin in 1974 and about as powerful as the cyclone that devastated north Queensland last week.
Cyclone Glenda was today lashing the Pilbara coastline with destructive gales, as its eye threatens to cross the coast this evening just west of Karratha and Dampier, about 1540 km north of Perth.
Wind gusts of up to 280km/h had been recorded near the centre of category four Glenda, which could grow stronger before it crosses the coast, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Bruce Buckley said.
"It could intensify just a touch, and it could briefly reach category five, but it is more likely to cross the coast as a category four," Mr Buckley said.
Glenda is the third, and the biggest, cyclone to impact the Pilbara region this season, and is on a par with category five Larry which created disaster areas across north Queensland last week.
"The difference is miniscule. We've got Glenda as a very high category four and analysis shows Larry was a very high four or low category five when it crossed, so they are definitely in the same ballpark," he said.
Glenda is probably a slightly larger cyclone in terms of the physical size of it."
Glenda is also bigger than cyclone Tracy which flattened Darwin in 1974.
"Tracy was an extremely small system, Glenda is a much larger system, affecting a much greater area, and it is a stronger cyclone than Tracy was as well."
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia today issued a red alert for people in the low-lying areas of Karratha, Roebourne, Point Samson, Wickham, Dampier and Mardie.
FESA operations area manager Jim Cahill said it was too dangerous to venture outside and evacuations in those areas had been been halted.
"We are asking people to stay indoors and to seek shelter," he said.
"The cyclone is basically very close and there are extreme winds and a lot of danger. If people haven't evacuated by now, it's probably a bit late."
The town of Mardie, 120km west of Karratha, is also facing the prospect of floods with the land waterlogged from rain brought by other recent cyclones.
Station manager at Mardie, Richard Climas, said today he was hoping the eye of the storm would pass directly over Mardie, which would spare his station from the worst of the cyclone's destructive effects. "At the moment there is a 50km eye and there is probably about 20km of really, really destructive winds," said Mr Climas.
Dampier's port has seen wind speeds increase to 60 knots this morning with seas packing a 3-4m swell inside the harbour, according to the Dampier Harbour master, Vic Justice.
"At this stage, the cyclone has altered course is travelling south-south west, towards Dampier," said Mr Justice. He had closed the port at 12.45am yesterday, which gave ships sufficient time to sail through cyclone's path to calmer waters. "Seven fully-loaded ships sailed at this time, in a staggered order," said Mr Justice by phone at 12pm AEDT (9am AWST).
Dampier, which has been hit by 5 tropical storms this year, has a cyclone plan which also involved sending ships moored outside the harbour, as well as support craft to offshore cyclone moorings.
NEWS.com.au reader and Karratha resident Richard Jehle described the situation in the town by email today. "We started to feel the effects of Glenda yesterday," Mr Jehle wrote. "About 9pm last night the rain started and has not stopped. Around 10pm the wind started to gradually pick up to what we now see as Gale Force Winds. At this point it is not as bad as (Cyclone) Clare was but we are waiting for it to get worse."
Glenda is the sixth cyclone of the WA cyclone season, which runs between November and April.
It is among the strongest ever to hit WA, as powerful as Bobby and Orson.
Category four cyclone Bobby passed near Onslow in 1995, damaging homes and causing widespread flooding.
Category five Orson passed near Dampier in 1989, causing widespread structural damage at Pannawonica.
AAP