The latest storm news on February 14 from the Australian Weather Service said that super typhoon Zelia, located in the Indian Ocean, about 115 km north of Port hedland, has surged into a Category 5 storm, the highest on the country's typhoon scale.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said that Category 5 Zelia is targeting the pilbara region, western Australia. Port hedland, a major mining hub, is right on the path of the strongest storm on the planet at the moment.
Typhoon Zelia rapidly intensified, with the eye of the storm observed from satellite having a small hole surrounded by lightning, Fox News noted.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorological Forecasters, Zelia has gone from a Category 3 storm to a Category 5 super typhoon with sustained winds of up to 205 km/h and gusts of up to 285 km/h.
Upper-level winds and sea temperatures at 30-31 degrees Celsius are favorable for the strengthening of super typhoon Zelia. The Fox Forecast Center said the location of the stream is also facilitating the super typhoon to strengthen before making landfall over the weekend.
Due to the impact of the strongest super typhoon currently active on Earth, Australia faces the risk of strong winds and severe flooding. The storm is expected to bring prolonged rain for several days in western Australia.
A tropical storm warning has been issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for the area from Wallal Downs to Dampier and extending inland to Marble Bar and Millstream.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, winds are forecast to strengthen further on the afternoon of February 14 as super typhoon Zelia approaches the coast. The center of the storm is likely to move across the coast between De Grey and Karratha late on February 14.
Port hedland, about 1,600 km north of Perth, is one of the most vulnerable areas to super typhoon Zelia. Port hedland has prepared for the possibility of disrupted flights and school closures due to bad weather.
Some locations in the region are still recovering from Typhoon Ilsa - a Category 5 storm that made landfall in western Australia in 2023.
The Australian hurricane season runs from November to April, which is the spring and summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia typically experiences about 10 typhoons a year, of which about 4-5 typhoons make landfall.
The typhoon season tends to be more intense as La Nina appears, with the number of storms affecting these areas doubling compared to the year of El Nino.
