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Australia hit by early stages of Cyclone Rusty Australia hit by Tropical Cyclone Rusty
(about 5 hours later)
Australia's north-west coast is being buffeted by high winds, hours before a powerful cyclone is expected to make landfall as a category four storm. Tropical Cyclone Rusty has hit the coast of Western Australia, bringing with it pouring rain and strong winds.
Weather experts say that the slow speed of Cyclone Rusty is likely to prompt extensive flooding. Rusty had been forecast to make landfall in the Pilbara region's Port Hedland iron ore port, but instead touched down in nearby Pardoo town.
As much as 600mm of rain (24in) was being forecast over a 24-hour period. The storm has been downgraded from category four cyclone, one notch short of the top category, to category three.
"We're talking Noah's Ark," one forecaster said. "We're expecting a phenomenal amount of rainfall." It is bringing gusts of up to 165km/h (103mph), said Australia's href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDW24100.txt" >Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).
Cyclone Rusty was upgraded to a category four storm early on Wednesday, one notch short of the top category. "It looks as if Hedland has dodged the bullet, so to speak, because the worst of the winds are away from Hedland," Neil Bennett of the BoM told AFP early on Wednesday.
At its centre, it had intensified to a strength of 230km/h (143mph), with satellite data indicating the eye of the storm was 20 nautical miles wide, Australian media reported. "Hedland though has been experiencing a constant period of gale-force winds for over 36 hours now," he said, adding that this was unprecedented for the area.
Ferocious The cyclone had veered away from Port Hedland, 800 miles (1,287km) north of the city of Perth, and landed in the tiny community of Pardoo 120km to the north-east at 5pm (09:00 GMT).
The arrival of Rusty north of the coastal town of Port Hedland has already closed the three main iron ore ports in the Pilbara region, the world's largest source of iron ore. Australia's href="http://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/alerts/Pages/Alert.aspx?ItemId=7257" >Department of Fire and Emergency Services had issued a red alert for Pardoo and nearby Whim Creek.
Ian Badger, a Pardoo resident, said that the winds were coming in strong.
"I've got some leaking in the roof and I've got water coming in through. As long as the building holds together I'll be alright," he told ABC News.
But he said that the amount of water was "worrying".
"The ground is very sodden, very soft. As soon as you get a get a bit of strong wind, trees start going over."
Port Hedland had closed three main iron ore ports in the Pilbara region, the world's largest source of iron ore, as the cyclone approached. Schools were also closed.
Port Hedland Deputy Mayor George Daccache told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) news agency that the winds and rain had been "relentless for the past two or three days".Port Hedland Deputy Mayor George Daccache told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) news agency that the winds and rain had been "relentless for the past two or three days".
"We are riding out the storm the best we can but we have been on alert since last Friday and looks like we will be on red for another day or so," he said. Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Mike Bergin said that they are still expecting "a very significant storm surge" in the Pardoo area.
Officials say the cyclone sat almost stationary overnight, 130km (80 miles) north-east of Port Hedland. The exact time the most ferocious part of it will hit land remains uncertain, AAP reports, although it is widely expected to be later on Wednesday. People in Port Hedland have been stocking up on essentials following warnings to take shelter. Other low-lying areas have also been evacuated.
As the storm gathers strength, its strong winds have whipped up six-metre (20ft) waves.
People in Port Hedland have been stocking up on essentials following warnings to take shelter. With storm surges expected, other low-lying areas have been evacuated.
"We are likely to see communities impacted by dangerous and destructive winds for quite a considerable period of time because of the slow movement of the storm," Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Mike Bergin said.
Officials have also warned that it is important that local people understand that dangerous conditions will commence "well before the system centre reaches the coast".
"We could see some gusts getting up to nearly 250km/h," forecaster Neil Bennett told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Some rainfall totals may be as much as 600 millimetres in a 24-hour period."
The bureau has warned that the equivalent of Perth's entire winter rainfall could fall in just three days.
Have you been affected by Cyclone Rusty? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.Have you been affected by Cyclone Rusty? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
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