Potential storm in a decade makes landfall in Western Australia | outside

Described as the strongest storm to make landfall in a decade as Elsa, the hurricane is currently developing off the coast of Western Australia. With winds of 250 kilometers per hour, the storm is powerful enough to lift campers into the air.

The storm is expected to make landfall overnight Thursday through Friday (local time), somewhere between Broome and Port Hedland. On Thursday evening, Elsa will already reach gusts of 250 kilometers per hour, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reports. “Winds of this force can not only knock down trees and power lines, but also lift things out of the garden and home. Like caravans and trampolines,” Miriam Bradbury, a meteorologist at BOM, told CNN.

Therefore, local authorities warn residents not to tie up all loose objects. Tourists are advised to steer clear of the expected path of the storm. Meanwhile, people are rushing to the supermarket to stock up on food and other supplies.

Seven hurricanes last year

Tornadoes are most common on the west coast of Australia. Last year, BOM scored seven. Darren Clem, a firefighter and emergency services commissioner for Western Australia, told CNN it’s been a decade since a hurricane of this size made landfall. In Australia, a five-level system is used to indicate the intensity of tropical cyclones. Divided into four, Ilsa is the second-heaviest class.

Thirteen Category 4 storms have hit the north coast of Western Australia since the 1960s. Tropical Cyclone Elsa can be compared to Hurricane Lawrence in 2009, which hit a similar location with winds of 150 miles per hour. The strongest storm to hit this part of Australia was Tropical Cyclone Monica in 2006.

Australia has experienced a series of natural disasters in recent years. Parts of New South Wales and Queensland were hit by floods last year.

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