Tropical Cyclone Narelle has caused widespread damage along Western Australia’s north-west coast, tearing roofs from homes and leaving hundreds without power. The storm, which was downgraded to a category two system on Friday evening, made landfall between Carnarvon and Kalbarri after battering the Pilbara and North West Cape regions.
In Exmouth, the Shire president described the experience as “terrifying”, with wind gusts strong enough to shake buildings and horizontal rain flooding houses. The local evacuation centre itself suffered roof damage, forcing those sheltering to move to a nearby church. A boat sank in Exmouth’s canals, and debris was scattered across affected areas.
More than 600 properties in Carnarvon lost electricity, and Horizon Power reported widespread outages. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services received dozens of calls for assistance, with eight road closures in place by Friday morning and more expected. Over 50 schools across the state were closed as a precaution.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that Narelle could bring flash flooding to the Perth metropolitan area, with rainfall totals of 50–100mm forecast for Friday and Saturday combined. A flood watch was in effect from Exmouth down to the Swan River. Senior meteorologist Ilana Cherny noted that such rainfall was sufficient to cause localised flooding.
Communities in Denham, a tourism town in Shark Bay, bunkered down after completing sandbagging and clean-ups. The town was under a code red, with deserted streets and an eerie calm before the cyclone's expected arrival. Meanwhile, Perth experienced heavy rain, with some suburbs recording over 30mm since Friday morning.
