Cyclone Ilsa: Western Australia braces for category five storm

A almighty tempest that is charging towards Western Australia (WA) has intensified to a class 5 system.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is expected to deed Port Hedland, successful the state's north, precocious connected Thursday night.

A reddish alert has been issued crossed the region, with thousands of radical ordered to instrumentality contiguous shelter.

While bluish Australia is nary alien to cyclones, this tempest is predicted to beryllium the strongest to deed the portion successful astir 10 years.

The "very destructive core" of the tempest volition bring "extreme" upwind gusts of up to 315km/hr (195mph) successful parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said.

"There is simply a menace to lives and homes. You are successful information and request to enactment immediately," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said, erstwhile the reddish alert was issued connected Thursday afternoon, section time.

Residents, including immoderate 15,000 radical successful Port Hedland, the world's biggest robust ore exporting port, person been ordered to structure wrong and enactment distant from doors and windows.

"It is excessively precocious to leave. Stay indoors until the each wide is fixed by authorities," the reddish alert informing states.

Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter said evacuation centres had been acceptable up successful the town.

"Everyone is connected edge," Mr Carter told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "They recognize that cyclones are what they are. They're very, precise unpredictable."

Some 700 residents from the distant assemblage of Bidyadanga person been evacuated, the occurrence work has said.

Weather officials besides warned of up to 400mm (15.7in) of rainfall and abnormally precocious tides, with the storm's interaction felt crossed a 600km (370 mile) portion from Port Hedland to conscionable southbound of Broome.

In Port Hedland, robust ore carrying ships were reportedly being moved from the harbour. Mining institution BHP told Reuters it was intimately monitoring the situation, but its mining and obstruction operations were continuing.

Ilsa is acceptable to beryllium the strongest tempest strategy to deed Australia's north-west since Cyclone Christine, which peaked astatine class four, successful December 2013.

The past class 5 tempest was Cyclone George successful 2007. It remains 1 of Australia's astir almighty tempest systems, and killed 3 radical arsenic it tore done mining camps conscionable southbound of Port Hedland.