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Hammered ... Glenda arrives at Dampier yesterday
WEST Australia's Pilbara Coast appears to have escaped relatively unscathed after a pummelling from Cyclone Glenda overnight.
By 1am (AEDT), the category four cyclone had been downgraded to a severe category three and was weakening as it tracked south.
Residents in towns in the cyclone's path were last night warned to prepare for dangerously high gales, heavy rain and flooding.
The eye of the cyclone passed right over the town of Onslow, 1389km north of Perth, about midnight, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Despite wind gusts of more than 195km/h, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) said early today that reported damage was limited to a few downed fences and trees and some water.
There had been no evacuations, as had been feared, and no calls so far for emergency help from residents, FESA district manager Peter Masini said
An assessment of the damage would be done at first light but it was not expected to be widespread.
Onslow residents were warned they may still face dangerously high storm tides.
By 2am (AEDT), the eye of the cyclone had moved 40km southwest of Onslow and was 80km east of Exmouth.
Destructive winds would batter Onslow for the next few hours and gusts of up to 130km/h would extend south through the western Pilbara region today, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Earlier, the storm's approach had forced residents from Karratha and nearby towns into shelter and shut down air services, schools and major mining, oil and gas and shipping operations.
Karratha residents in their homes, and 160 evacuees at a local TAFE, weathered a storm battering yesterday but reports of only minor flood damage were filtering through last night after winds of up to 200km/h toppled trees and powerlines.
Earlier yesterday senior forecaster Bruce Buckley said Glenda was on a par with category five Cyclone Larry, which left a trail of damage across north Queensland last week.
"The difference is minuscule," Mr Buckley said.
"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 ball park."
Reader video: from Joyce Salisbury in Karratha
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Dampier Harbour master Vic Justice closed the port at 12.45am (AWST) Wednesday, 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," he said.
Dampier, which has been hit by five 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.
