Cyclone Narelle devastates Western Australia’s Pilbara and Gascoyne regions in March 2026

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Key details reported by multiple sources:

• Cyclone Narelle made landfall in Western Australia as a category 4 system on March 28, 2026, after crossing Queensland and the Northern Territory.
• Exmouth, a tourist town 1,250km north of Perth, suffered catastrophic damage with roofs torn off, power/water outages, and the airport ‘obliterated’ by winds exceeding 250km/h (ABC, Guardian, Newscomaau).
• The cyclone caused flooding in Onslow, Carnarvon, and the Gascoyne region, with rainfall totals of 70–100mm and storm surges (ABC, Guardian, Newscomaau).
• Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG plants (Barrow Island and Onslow) experienced production outages due to Cyclone Narelle (Guardian, ABC).
• Cyclone Narelle was the first storm in over 20 years to make landfall in three Australian states/territories (Queensland, NT, WA) (Guardian, Newscomaau, ABC).
• The system weakened to a tropical low by March 29, 2026, but continued bringing heavy rain and wind gusts up to 100km/h to inland regions (ABC, Guardian).
• Approximately 2,000 homes remained without power in Exmouth and Carnarvon after the cyclone (ABC, Guardian).
• The cyclone’s path spanned over 5,500km across Australia, originating in far north Queensland (Guardian, Newscomaau).
• Exmouth’s evacuation centre sustained wind damage, forcing 50+ people to evacuate (ABC, Guardian).
• Wind gusts of 120–260km/h were recorded in the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions (ABC, Guardian, Newscomaau).
• The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued severe weather warnings for areas between Exmouth and Denham, including Coral Bay and Carnarvon (ABC, Guardian).
• Cyclone Narelle’s remnants brought flash flooding risks to Perth and the Southwest Land Division (ABC, Guardian).
• Local councils in Exmouth, Carnarvon, and Shark Bay reported significant infrastructure damage, including water mains and roads (ABC, Newscomaau).
• The cyclone disrupted flights, closed schools, and forced evacuations across the Pilbara and Gascoyne (ABC, Guardian, Newscomaau).
• Brett Hopkinson’s Hill Springs Station in the Gascoyne region suffered severe damage, including loss of his parents’ home (ABC, Guardian).
• The cyclone’s eye passed directly over Coral Bay, causing widespread tree damage and structural harm (ABC, Newscomaau).
• Emergency services reported no injuries but warned of ongoing structural hazards in affected areas (ABC, Guardian).
• The prime minister (Anthony Albanese) acknowledged federal support for recovery efforts in WA (ABC, Guardian).
• Cyclone Narelle’s unusual path was linked to record ocean temperatures in the Coral Sea (Guardian).
• The cyclone’s remnants caused power outages in Geraldton and the Midwest, though these areas saw less direct impact (ABC).
• Residents in Exmouth described the cyclone as the worst in decades, comparable to Cyclone Vance (1999) (ABC, Guardian).