Upgraded.
February 08, 2020 16: 54:47
Rain and wind force winds are mauling a stretch of West Australian coastline in the state’s north with Tropical Cyclone Damien anticipated to make landfall later this afternoon.
Bottom line:
- Cyclone Damien is forecasted to cross the coast as a category 3 system
- It will be the greatest cyclone to make landfall in the region considering that 2013
- A red alert remains in place and wind force winds are forecasted
A red alert remains in place for locations in WA’s Pilbara area which is bracing for extreme, harmful winds, torrential rains and storm surges after Damien magnified overnight.
The significant city of Karratha, which has a population of about 16,000, remained in the sights of the cyclone.
Neil Bennett from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the cyclone was likely to make landfall as a “greater end” classification 3 system.
” We haven’t seen any further augmentation [of the system],” Mr Bennett stated.
” There was a possibility it might be as much as a category 4, however we’re thinking that it’ll probably affect as a category three which’s still a very powerful system.
” Wind gusts of 220 km per hour are possible around the core.”
The cyclone is anticipated to cross the coast near Dampier and Karratha, with continual winds of about 150 k