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Positioned approximately 145 kilometers north of Port Hedland, Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is currently classified as a category 2 storm. Forecasts suggest it will intensify as it moves past Karratha overnight.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted torrential rainfall and the potential for flash flooding later today, with recorded wind gusts already reaching speeds of 130 km/h.
Communities stretching from De Grey to Ningaloo, which encompass areas such as Port Hedland, Karratha, Onslow, Exmouth, Pilbara, and Pannawonica, are currently under a cyclone warning.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has issued a “watch and act” alert for residents between Whim Creek and Mardie, including those on Barrow and Montebello Islands, advising them to prepare for possible evacuation or to seek shelter.
The alert cautions that the approaching cyclone poses a potential danger to lives and properties in the affected regions.
An evacuation centre will be open in the Karratha Leisureplex from midday today.
Residents south of Mardie to Carnarvon and inland to Pannwonica are urged to prepare now, while those in Pardoo Roadhouse to east of Whim Creek are advised to monitor conditions.
Mitchell is expected to continue travelling south to the Pilbara coast at a steady 16km/h pace tomorrow, where it will remain until it makes landfall there by Monday.
Heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding are forecast for the area and could extend to the west Gascoyne region.
Very destructive winds are expected to extend to Onslow and possibly Exmouth.
Abnormally high tides are also feared to cause serious flooding in the Karratha region early tomorrow morning and then in the Onslow region by the afternoon.
Mitchell is forecast to downgrade to a category 2 storm by Monday night and then a category 1 by Tuesday.
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