A massive cyclone swirling off Australia's western coast will likely make landfall as a category 5 storm -- the strongest on the national scale -- according to the country's official forecaster.
A massive cyclone swirling off Australia’s western coast will likely make landfall as a category 5 storm – the strongest on the national scale – according to the country’s official forecaster. The Bureau of Meteorology expects Cyclone Ilsa to cross the Pilbara coast of Western Australia Thursday evening or Friday morning local time, between Port Hedland and Wallal Downs, lashing the region with wind gusts in excess of 285 kilometers per hour .
Australia uses a five-tier system to categorize cyclones, a different system to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center which earlier clocked Ilsa’s winds at 215 kph , making it the equivalent of a category 4 Atlantic hurricane. The region is sparsely populated, and the largest town near the storm’s eye is Port Hedland, home to around 16,000 people. Aboriginal communities, cattle stations, mining sites and tourist operators are dotted around the area.
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