Tropical Cyclone Narelle 09:00 Thursday 26 March 2026 (AWST)
As at 09:00 Thursday 26 March 2026, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) advises Tropical Cyclone Narelle lies north of Port Hedland and is tracking steadily to the west-southwest.
The environment is favourable, and the system is forecast to continue intensifying, with the forecast indicating category 4 by Thursday afternoon.
A period of rapid intensification is likely during the next 30 hours, and the chance of Narelle reaching category 5 intensity while north of the Pilbara coast is around 30%.
There is high confidence in the track to the west-southwest on Thursday, roughly parallel to the Pilbara coast. The extent of gales and storm force winds south of Narelle is likely to be larger than normal.
Sustained gales are occurring over coastal parts of the Pilbara, with storm force winds just offshore.
As of 09:00 Thursday 26 2026, Pilbara Ports has closed the Ports of Ashburton, Cape Preston West, Dampier and Varanus Island.
All recreational vessel owners must safely secure their vessels for cyclonic conditions.
For specific information regarding your location, please refer to DFES emergency alerts website.
For the latest cyclone warnings visit www.bom.gov.au/cyclone.
Marine Notices are issued to publicise important safety, regulatory and other relevant information regarding maritime affairs.
Marine Safety Bulletins provide guidelines and recommendations in the interest of enhancing safe marine operations at the Port of Port Hedland.