Tropical Cyclone Narelle
14:00 Tuesday 24 March 2026 (AWST)
As at 14:00 on Tuesday 24 March 2026, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) advises Tropical Cyclone Narelle is moving offshore of the west Kimberley coast and towards the west southwest.
The environment is favourable and it will likely re-intensify into a tropical cyclone tonight. Accordingly, there is a risk of gales affecting the west Kimberley coast before the system moves further offshore.
Model guidance is generally consistent in intensifying Narelle into a strong system and the forecast indicates category 3 Wednesday night and category 4 Thursday. There is high confidence in the track to the west-southwest during Wednesday and Thursday, roughly parallel to the Pilbara coast.
As of 18:00 Tuesday 24 March 2026, Pilbara Ports will begin clearing berths from the Ports of Ashburton, Cape Preston West, Dampier and Varanus Island.
All recreational vessel owners must safely secure their vessels for cyclonic conditions.
For the latest cyclone warnings visit www.bom.gov.au/cyclone.
For specific information regarding your location, please refer to DFES emergency alerts website.
Pilbara Ports created the recreational vessel safety awareness campaign as part of a proactive approach to reduce the number of recreational vessel-related incidents at the Port of Dampier.
A safety exclusion zone is in place around port facilities. Only commercial vessels conducting business with the port are permitted access to the exclusion zone.
Unauthorised vessels will be asked to leave and/or will be escorted away. Repeat offenders will be reported to the Office of Transport Security and could face a possible infringement and/or prosecution.
Located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the Port of Dampier is the world's second largest bulk export port.
While there's room for recreational vessels to share the port waters with large ships, there are a few simple things recreational skippers must do to maintain passenger safety and avoid interrupting port operations.