Biggest Cyclone in Decade hits Australia with record Wind speeds
A severe equatorial cyclone hit the western parts of Australia with record-breaking wind speeds of 218km/h—a feat set 10 years ago in the same place. As per weather department of Australia, it is the most powerful storm in eight years to hit the country.
Tropical Storm Ilsa
The tropical storm Ilsa as analysed was a category five storm.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the tropical cyclone landed up between De Grey and Pardoo Roadhouse as a highest-severity category 5 storm on Monday.
As per the study, the Category 5 storm calculated to be really dangerous.
However, it got downgraded to level 4 Atlantic hurricane, after it reached the coast near Pardoo Roadhouse around 140km east of Port Hedland.
Furthermore, Western Australia’s acting emergency services minister, Sue Ellery, announced that the storm was further weekend to category 2 system.
Weather Department Analysis
According to the weather department, Ilsa set a record for a 10-minute-sustained wind speed of 218km/h at Bedout Island just off the coast. The previous record holder was Cyclone George in 2007 which had wind speeds of 194km/h at the same location.
“We’ve received no calls for assistance. It appears the larger populated areas have escaped most of the damage,” emergency services spokesman Peter Sutton said, adding, “We’ll have a helicopter in the air as soon as it’s safe.”
Australia’s weather agency said that the cyclone had set a preliminary record for the strongest sustained wind speeds over a 10-minute period.
The department of fire and emergency services issued a new series of “red alerts” ordering people to stay indoors.
Tropical Cyclone Ilsa also forced Port Hedland, one of the world’s major iron ore-shipping hubs, to clear all vessels.
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“That is going to cause a heap of damage. Fortunately, it looks like the system is going to cross in a relatively unpopulated part of the coast,” Todd Smith, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said, to a news report.
Officials are assessing the damage the cyclone caused on Western Australia, though they believe that the winds had the potential to cause significant damage to trees, buildings, power lines and other infrastructure.
They were planning to survey the damage from the air when it was safe enough to fly helicopters over the area, reports CNN.
According to local media reports, the cyclone skipped past the main population centres, including the town of Port Hedland, an important hub for the mining industry and home to about 16,000 people, mostly mine workers.
“The fact that the cyclone took a south-eastward shift in the track late yesterday afternoon really means that Port Hedland dodged a bullet last night. Most of the impacts as we’ve seen are further to the east, and the impacts in Port Hedland were really light with the system tracking about 150km further along the track,” Todd Smith from the Bureau of Meteorology said.
