Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall south of Coral Bay on Friday 27 March as a
Category 3 system with gusts up to 195 km/h, before tracking southeast through the Gascoyne,
past Geraldton, and across the Wheatbelt toward Perth by Saturday.
Carnarvon and the surrounding food bowl — which supplies around 60% of WA’s winter fresh
produce and 80% of the state’s bananas — suffered major agricultural losses. Corn crops were
flattened, tomato seedlings destroyed, and avocado farms wiped out. Banana plantations saw
significant damage to mature trees. Fruit and vegetable prices are expected to rise in coming
weeks.
Exmouth’s airport terminal was obliterated by 260 km/h gusts, and over 2,000 homes across the
region are being assessed. LNG operations at Wheatstone were disrupted and may take weeks
to restore.
Perth experienced 25–60mm of rain, strong winds, and flash flooding on Saturday, with 40+
flights cancelled and Perth Airport’s cross runway closed for debris clearance. The system
weakened and moved offshore by Sunday.
Sources:
• BOM: Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle impacts
• Bunbury Mail: Crops flattened, towns smashed
• The Watchers: Narelle damages Exmouth
