Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall just south of Coral Bay, Western Australia, at approximately 09:30 AWST on March 27, 2026, as a Category 3 system. The cyclone brought wind gusts up to 195 km/h, intense rainfall, and a dangerous storm tide along the Gascoyne coast, marking a rare meteorological event that tested infrastructure and emergency services across the state.
In Exmouth, trees and fences had been toppled near homes, with reports of boats sunk in the marina and a significant storm surge impacting the town. Police and members of the defence force moved about 50 people to a local church after the roof of the town's evacuation centre was damaged. Power was lost in the town of about 2800 people, with emergency crews unable to move due to dangerous conditions.
Exmouth Shire president Matthew Niikkula said roofs had lifted off houses and many others were flooded, with residents reporting screaming winds and widespread damage throughout the night. The scale of destruction reflected the cyclone's intensity: at 8 am AWST on Friday, Narelle was a category 4 tropical cyclone located about 70 km southwest of Exmouth, with wind speeds near its core averaging 175 km/h and gusts to 250 km/h.
The broader context underscores how unusual Narelle's path has been. Tropical Cyclone Narelle is only the third system since 1980 to make landfall in three Australian states and/or territories, with its first coastal crossing in northern Queensland on March 20, followed by a second landfall over the eastern Top End of the Northern Territory on March 22, and its third landfall today over WA making it the first system since Tropical Cyclone Ingrid in 2005 to accomplish this.
Heavy to intense rainfall accompanied the system, with 6-hour totals of 30 to 50 mm and locally higher amounts, with severe flash flooding observed in parts of the western Pilbara and forecast to extend southward into the Gascoyne and Central West as the system progressed inland. Large waves, ferocious onshore winds and Narelle's low pressure produced a large storm surge, which reached around 3 metres above the normal tide level at Exmouth on Friday morning.
The WA Premier has activated the state's highest level emergency response, as communities further south brace for the system as it weakens. While the system is expected to be a category 4 or 3 system as it crosses the coast and moves over land into Friday afternoon and evening, it will weaken as it tracks south.
Looking ahead, the main threat shifts inland. Kalbarri and Geraldton could see damaging winds tomorrow night and overnight Saturday, with inland areas predicted to be worst hit, while Perth residents are in for heavy rain tomorrow night and into Saturday with more than 50 millimetres of rain expected, though severe winds are unlikely as the system tracks well to the east.
The cyclone's impact reflects the challenge of forecasting multi-state tropical systems. The cyclone has travelled 4,500 km to Western Australia since forming near the Solomon Islands, demonstrating how seasonal weather systems can test emergency management across multiple jurisdictions and place sustained pressure on recovery operations that may already be stretched.