A tropical cyclone off Western Australia is expected to make landfall on Friday near the nation’s major iron ore export hub, bringing heavy rain and damaging wind gusts. Tropical Cyclone Zelia has strengthened to a Category 2 and is forecast to intensify further as it moves toward the Pilbara coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns that very high rainfall is likely along its track due to the slow movement of the system. This could lead to flash flooding and disrupt vital rail links to ports, which may already be saturated from previous cyclones this year. The port of Port Hedland, Australia’s biggest iron ore export harbor, will close at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
BHP Group and Fortescue Ltd., two major iron ore exporters, have announced plans to scale back their operations as the storm approaches. Rio Tinto Group, another mining heavyweight, has also been affected by cyclones in the region this year, with a port facility damaged by heavy rain.
This will be the first cyclone to cross the Australian coast this season, which runs from November through April. The storm is expected to follow Tropical Cyclone Blanche’s landfall in March 2017 as the latest event during the seasonal weather pattern.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tropical-cyclone-zelia-forms-off-235518036.html