Cyclone on track to force five

BREAKING STORM NEWS: AUSTRALIA
Photo: Making waves ... lifeguards rescue surfers from the swell at Sydney's Coogee beach yesterday as Cyclone Wati hit the coast.

March 28, 2006
SEVERE tropical cyclone Glenda is expected to grow into a category-five storm before it crosses Western Australia's Pilbara coast later this week.

The sixth tropical cyclone of the WA season reached category-four strength today, as it travelled west-southwest roughly parallel to the Kimberley coast, with gusts of up to 235km/h.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Noel Puzey said Glenda was likely to intensify into a force-five storm as it tracked the coastline in the next few days.
"I think it probably will (strengthen) over the next 24 to 48 hours," Mr Puzey said.
By late Thursday or early Friday, Glenda could bear down on the central Pilbara mining region.
"In the 48 to 72 hour time it is probably more likely to affect the central to west Pilbara coast."
Residents and industry in the storm's projected path are battening down.
Fire and Emergency Services Authority spokesmen were urging residents to batten down loose boards, remove loose debris from near houses and stock up on emergency supplies.
Last weekend, category-four Floyd caused wind gusts of up to 280km/h, but, like Bertie, the first cyclone of the season last year, it did not threaten the coast or the state's huge resources industry.
The first big storm to cross the Pilbara coast this year was category-three Clare, which caused evacuations in the region on January 9, as key ports were closed and mining operations were shut down.
A week later, category-two cyclone Daryl threatened northern settlements before moving away from the WA coast.
Earlier this month, cyclone Emma crossed the coast as a category-one storm, after briefly shutting down mining, oil and gas operations in the Pilbara region.
WA's cyclone season runs between November and April, with most activity in the latter half of the period.

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