Cyclone Narelle live updates: Severe storm crosses WA coast as Geraldton put under emergency alert

We are wrapping up our live blog of cyclone Narelle for today.

Thank you for joining us as we brought you the latest events as they happened.

Join us again tomorrow for more rolling coverage as Narelle continues to track south-east.

Parts of the Gascoyne and Geraldton coasts are in for gale force winds overnight, the Bureu of Meteorology warns.

A strong wind warning is also in place for the Pilbara west, Ningaloo, Esperence and Eucla coasts.

Destrucive winds are expected to continue into Saturday morning for the Esperence coast, Gascoyne coast, Gerladton coast, Lancelin coast, Albany coast and Eucla coast.

Sheep graziers in parts of the State are being warned that heavy rain and strong winds pose a risk to livestock.

“Sheep graziers are warned that cold temperatures, heavy rain and showers and strong northeasterly winds are expected during Saturday,” the Bureau of Meterology said in an alert issued at 9.27pm.

“There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.”

The warning applies to farmers in the Central West, Lower West, South West, South Coastal, South East Coastal, Great Southern and Central Wheat Belt forecast districts.

Here’s an update on all you need to know about severe tropical cyclone Narelle this evening:

📍Narelle lies over the Gascoyne east of Denham and is weakening as it moves quickly south-southeast

🧭 Moving south-southeast at 34km/h

🌀 Currently a category 2 cyclone

📆 Saturday: Weakening while moving south-southeast, impacting Central West and inland areas South West

Impact zones

⚠️ Current warning zone extends from Minilya Roadhouse to Jurien Bay, including Carnarvon, Denham and Geraldton, and extending inland to Murchison and Dalwallinu.

🌧️ Impacts spreading across central west and south west land division by Saturday

Wind threat

💥 Up to 125km/h gusts occurring from inland of Carnarvon to Overlander Roadhouse and inland to Gascoyne Junction

💨 Up to 125km/h gusts east to Murchison and south to inland parts of the Central West overnight, and possibly as far south as Morawa early Saturday morning.

🌬️Up to 120km/h gusts occurring in areas between Minilya Roadhouse and south of Overlander Roadhouse and east to Murchison

Rain & flooding

🌧️ Heavy rainfall with risk of flash flooding in central and southern parts of the Gascoyne overnight

🌧️ Damaging to locally destructive winds and heavy rainfall on Saturday across much of southwest WA east of Perth and northeast of Albany.

Coastal hazards

🌊 Very dangerous storm tide between Exmouth and Denham

⚠️ Large waves and minor flooding of low-lying coastal areas

🌊 High tides from Exmouth to Denham

Key warning

📱 Monitor Emergency WA/DFES alerts and know your cyclone plan

DFES issued the warning at around 8pm on Friday and advised residents south of Binnu top Greenough to ‘shelter indoors now.’

The statement confirmed that there is a threat to lives and homes and included some points on what to do if you are in the emergency alert area:

• Shelter indoors now. It is too late to leave.
• Stay in the strongest, safest part of the building.
• Stay away from doors and windows, and keep them closed.
• Keep your emergency kit with you.
• Stay indoors until Emergency Services advise it is safe to go outside.

One West Aussie has been left scrambling to get to Exmouth to assess the damage to their property after cyclone Narelle battered the town, forking out thousands to fly up there.

Ms Sanders claimed earlier in the week a flight from Perth to Exmouth cost $359, but when she looked at what it would cost on Saturday, the prices had surged to $1200 for a one way flight at 12.35pm.

“Normally they have early morning flights so they’re obviously just putting that one flight on at lunchtime because it will be safe by then. And $1200, there’s nothing you can do about it it’s just what you have to do. There’s literally no other way to do this,” she said.

Read the full story.

BoM has updated cyclone Narelle’s tracking map, showing the destructive disasters likely path for Friday headed into Saturday.

The eye of the storm is currently passing through Carnarvon and will make its way through the Gascoyne region as it tracks towards Denham.

Water Corporation has advised residents bunkered down in Exmouth and Onslow to limit their non-essential water use.

It comes as emergency services work diligently to repair infrastructure damaged by cyclone Narelle.

Exmouth will experience low water pressure and see potential interruptions overnight due to a power outage affecting the town’s two borefields.

While Onslow has ongoing repairs to water mains that were damaged, impacting supply to a large water storage tank.

Helpful ways residents can limit water use and support crews include:

• Turning off garden reticulation;
• Avoid hosing down pavement and driveways;
• Keeping showers to four minutes and skip baths;
• Avoid using water-heavy appliances such as washing machines;
• Using a plug in the sink to capture water for re-use.

A fallen tree has forced multiple lanes to be closed on a busy Perth highway on Friday afternoon.

The tree came down on Great Eastern Highway eastbound at Bilgoman Road in Hovea, causing heavy congestion in the area.

Read the full story.