There are no active warnings for this location.
Weather Maps
Daily Forecast
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is bringing gusty winds and rain to northwest WA. Showers and some storms extend across parts of the tropics, over the central interior and the southeast in humid, unstable air. Hot, gusty winds persist in western WA.
Latest Warnings
AUS
Latest News
Climate Updates
Latest News
07 Feb 2026, 11:25PM UTC
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell lashes the Pilbara coast as landfall approaches
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell intensified into a severe Category 3 system overnight and has been tracking just offshore of the Pilbara coast. The Bureau of Meteorology’s 6 am AWST advisory placed the cyclone roughly 165 km north-northeast of Onslow and about 250 km northeast of Exmouth, moving slowly west southwest. Image: Visible satellite and radar imagery showing cloud and rain associated with tropical cyclone Mitchell on Sunday morning. Source: Weatherzone. Mitchell is packing sustained winds near 140 km/h with damaging gusts to around 195 km/h, with the very destructive core brushing the Pilbara coastline before an expected landfall between Onslow and Exmouth later on Sunday or early Monday. The forecast highlights very destructive winds between Dampier and Mardie early Sunday, with damaging gusts extending south towards Exmouth, together with heavy rain, flash flooding and abnormally high tides. The cyclone’s proximity has delivered some significant winds this weekend. Automatic weather stations showed Legendre Island recording a 163 km/h gust on Saturday evening as Mitchell’s eyewall grazed the offshore island. As of 6:10am WST Sunday, other exposed islands have also been significantly impacted: Barrow Island Airport reported a gust of 111 km/h and Varanus Island reached 135 km/h early Sunday, just after 6am WST. On the mainland, Karratha Aero was lashed by a 100 km/h gust on Saturday night and later clocked 98 km/h early Sunday, while Roebourne Aero measured 87 km/h on Saturday evening and Mardie topped out near 72 km/h. Further east, Port Hedland Airport experienced gale-force winds as Mitchell tracked past offshore, with the station recording a peak gust of 93 km/h on Saturday afternoon. Rowley Shoals also saw strong winds, with gusts reaching around 85 km/h as the cyclone’s outer bands swept across the offshore reefs and islands. For both locations, these were the strongest wind gusts recorded since Tropical Cyclone Zelia last February. Image: Visible satellite and wind gusts at 06:10am WST. Source: Weatherzone. In the 24 hours to 6:00 am Sunday, Barrow Island Airport recorded about 74.6 mm of rain and Karratha Aero picked up 69.2 mm. Varanus Island was soaked by 92.2 mm, while Roebourne Aero collected 48.2 mm and Port Hedland Aero registered 43.2 mm. Rain gauges at Thevenard Island and Onslow Airport measured around 22 mm and 18 mm respectively. Image: Visible satellite and rainfall observations at 06:00am WST. Source: Weatherzone. The cyclone’s slow west southwest track means gale force winds and torrential rain will continue along the Pilbara coast through the day. The Bureau warns that very destructive gusts to 195 km/h remain possible between Dampier and Mardie, with destructive gusts to 160 km/h extending towards Onslow and Exmouth later Sunday. Damaging gales may also spread inland to Pannawonica and the west Gascoyne. Communities between Onslow and Exmouth are urged to finalise preparations and shelter in place as the cyclone approaches. Image: ECMWF forecast wind gusts on Sunday evening as Tropical Cyclone Mitchell impacts the Pilbara coast. Source: Weatherzone. As Mitchell edges closer to landfall, widespread moderate to heavy rainfall is expected along the west Pilbara coast, extending into parts of the Gascoyne, with a risk of flash flooding developing through today and into Monday. Localised bursts of more intense rainfall may lead to dangerous flash flooding near the coast, particularly around Onslow. Abnormally high tides and large waves are also expected along the Pilbara coastline, including Exmouth, with coastal inundation possible in low-lying areas during high tides. Image: ECMWF Forecast accumulated rainfall to Monday 9th evening as the system moves south and weakens over western WA. Source: Weatherzone. The forecast track suggests Mitchell will cross the coast between Onslow and Exmouth late Sunday or early Monday as a Category 3 system before weakening over land. However, with the cyclone still offshore and conditions favourable, it may maintain severe tropical cyclone intensity right up to landfall. Even after crossing the coast, Mitchell’s large circulation will continue to drive strong winds and heavy rain inland. Residents in the Pilbara and Gascoyne should stay tuned to official warnings and follow all directions from emergency services. Further heavy rain, damaging winds and coastal inundation are expected before the system finally weakens early next week.
06 Feb 2026, 11:16PM UTC
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell strengthens as Pilbara landfall approaches
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell has intensified off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, with warnings for destructive winds, heavy rainfall, dangerous surf and coastal flooding over the weekend. At 2 am AWST on Saturday, Mitchell was a category 1 tropical cyclone located to the north of Port Hedland, moving west southwest while continuing to strengthen over warm ocean waters. The system is forecast to intensify further today, with the potential to reach category 2 strength before turning more southwest and approaching the Pilbara coast late Sunday. Image: Infrared satellite imagery showing Tropical Cyclone Mitchell intensifying off the northwest WA coast early Saturday. Source: Weatherzone. Damaging winds and dangerous marine conditions for the Pilbara As Mitchell intensifies, destructive wind gusts up to 150 km/h may develop near the core of the system, particularly along coastal parts of the Pilbara including Karratha, Dampier and Wickham. Gale force winds with damaging gusts to 120km/h are expected to extend well away from the centre, impacting coastal and inland parts of the western Pilbara through Sunday. Image: GFS forecast wind gusts on Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Mitchell impacts the Pilbara coast. Source: Weatherzone. Large and powerful waves, combined with abnormally high tides, are expected to generate dangerous marine conditions and increase the risk of coastal inundation and storm surge between Wickham and Exmouth this weekend. Flooding rain to spread across coastal and inland WA In addition to the wind threat, Mitchell is forecast to deliver widespread moderate to locally heavy rainfall, with the risk of flash flooding developing across parts of the Pilbara from later today and persisting into early next week. As the cyclone weakens and moves inland, heavy rain may spread further south and east across WA’s interior, potentially affecting normally dry catchments and river systems. Image: Forecast accumulated rainfall to Tuesday 10th morning as the system moves south and weakens over western WA. Source: Weatherzone. Some uncertainty remains around intensity The precise impacts will depend on how long Mitchell remains offshore and how quickly it turns towards the coast. Should Mitchell spend more time over warm waters, the system may strengthen further, with category 3 intensity possible before landfall. Residents, communities and industries across the Pilbara and Gascoyne are urged to monitor the latest tropical cyclone advisories, warnings and forecast updates as the situation continues to evolve.
05 Feb 2026, 11:44PM UTC
Tropical Cyclone likely to form near WA coast this weekend
A tropical cyclone is expected to develop near Western Australia’s Pilbara coast this weekend, increasing the likelihood of heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds. At 2am AWST on Friday, a tropical low was located over the western Kimberley district of WA, roughly 50 km northeast of Broome. While this low has been unable to become a tropical cyclone while over land, it has still caused heavy rain over the last few days. A rain gauge at Curtin received 115 mm of rain during the 18 hours ending at 6am AWST on Friday. Broome also collected more than 50 mm of rain over this period. Composite radar and satellite images show bands of rain wrapping around the centre of the tropical low as it moved over Broome at sunrise on Friday morning. Image: Visible satellite and radar imagery showing cloud and rain associated with a tropical low over the western Kimberley on Friday morning. Source: Weatherzone. Offshore track increasing tropical cyclone risk this weekend The low will continue to move towards the west on Friday, allowing the system to move off the west Kimberley coast and start drawing additional energy from warm water to the north of WA. This should allow the system to gain strength as it tracks in a west southwest direction to the north of the Pilbara district over the weekend. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the tropical low is likely to become a tropical cyclone late on Saturday and intensify further into Sunday morning while moving towards the west southwest roughly parallel to the Pilbara coast. At this stage, the tropical cyclone is expected to weaken from late Sunday as it turns more towards the south and interacts with the west Pilbara and northern Gascoyne coasts. Cyclone impacts to include flooding and damaging winds If this system does become a tropical cyclone and remain close enough to land, parts of the Pilbara could see heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds. Heavy rain should spread from the Kimberley along the Pilbara coast from Friday night into the weekend, possibly causing flash flooding in some areas. Large waves and abnormally high tides will exacerbate the flood risk in low-lying coastal areas, particularly between about Exmouth and Wickham over the weekend. Wind gusts of up to 120 km/h are also possible along the coast from about De Grey to Onslow on Saturday and early on Sunday. Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the next three days. Source: Weatherzone. How to prepare for this severe weather event The hazards associated with this system will depend on how strong it gets and how close it remains to the coast. At this stage, people between the western Kimberley and northern Gascoyne districts, including the Pilbara, should check the latest tropical cyclone advisories, severe weather warnings and flood advisories for the most up-to-date information. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) website has information about what to do before, during and after a tropical cyclone. This includes the following advice for staying safe during a tropical cyclone: If sheltering at home, fill sinks, buckets, containers and bath with clean water in case mains water supply is affected. When an Emergency Warning has been issued, you must stay inside. It is extremely dangerous to go outside during the cyclone as flying debris can cause injury. If you are sheltering at home, look for ways to keep yourself and your family safe. For example, moving to a room without windows, using mattresses and cushions for protection. Image: Tropical cyclone forecast track on the Weatherzone app. Source: Weatherzone. Tropical cyclone to be named Mitchell There have already been seven tropical cyclones named inside the Australian area of responsibility so far this season, with another one moving into the region after being named near Indonesia. If the system developing to the north of WA this week is the next tropical cyclone to form in the Australian region, it will be named Mitchell and become the 9th tropical cyclone in Australia’s area of responsibility so far this season. Impressively, this would equal the total number of tropical cyclones from the entire 2023-24 season and exceed the number seen during the 2022-23 season.