Cyclone Narelle live updates: Monster storm downgraded as WA locals emerge to assess damage

While Carnarvon was engulfed in a weird dust storm, which turned the town ochre, it hardly got a drop of rain.

In fact, it got so loittle that fruit growers in the region were left disappointed.

While they were happy to avoid most of the damaging winds, rain would have been most welcome.

The wild ride of ex-tropical cyclone Narelle is easing but not before unleashing a string of unpredictable hits across WA.

As the system weakened after crossing the coast near Coral Bay, attention has turned to the messy, lingering weather left in its wake.

Amateur weather forecaster Joshua Toohey, who runs the CyclonesOZ YouTube page, said the storm’s rapid collapse likely spared coastal towns from something far worse.

“It was still a massive impact but it could have actually been a whole lot worse,” he told 6PR.

Full story here.

State Emergency Service crews have been busy across the State as residents faced extensive damage from extropical cyclone Narelle.

In the Pilbara, which faced the brunt of the category 4 system, there have been 42 requests for assistance - 33 of thm in Exmouth.

The jobs were mainly for structure damage, flooding and downed trees.

Since Friday, there have been 18 requests for assistance in the Midwest Gascoyne including in Carnarvon and Geraldton.

Extensive rain in the Perth metropolitan overnight also caused 100 requests for assistance with jobs for water ingress and flooding.

A downgraded tropical system is continuing to track inland across WA’s south after earlier packing destructive category 2 cyclone strength.

The Bureau of Meteorology said that system moved through the northern Gascoyne, with wind gusts topping 130km/h at Carnarvon Airport.

The wild weather has left about 2000 homes without power, with reports of widespread damage and fallen trees across the region.

Authorities are still assessing the full impact, including the shutdown of major gas plants operated by Woodside and Chevron.

Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the consequences of the storm were still unfolding.

Initial reports suggest much of the critical infrastructure has held up but assessments are ongoing.

If you’re off to the footy, takes your umbrella and raincoat but apart from the odd shower, it should be fine for the Dockers game.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Helen Reid said the weather across Perth was improving rapidly.

“We still need to be mindful it’s not going to be completely fine,” she said.

“Everyone should still have their wet weather gear with them but it is looking like it’s going to be less interesting.

“And, yes, anything in the sense of lightning should be a little bit fewer and further between by then.”

Take a look at this video. An absolute deluge in Exmouth.

Cyclone Narelle lost steam and bypassed Geraldton overnight.

Despite an emergency alert and forecasts of winds up to 125km/h and heavy rainfall, the strongest wind gust recorded in Geraldton were 56km/h and there was only 1.6mm of rain recorded.

Resident Katie Perella had prepared for the worst but counted herself lucky the cyclone didn’t come close to the city.

“We were told it was going to be a category 2 cyclone, which is something I’ve never had to prepare for before,” she said.

“We charged up all our electronic goods, made sure we had groceries at home, had sandbags at the doors around the house, a medical kit in the hallway, which we were told is the safest place to bunker down in the cyclone.

“We packed away all the wood and things out in the yard but overnight there’s been absolutely nothing, barely a sprinkle of rain and what feels like normal to low winds for Geraldton.

“We’ve been really lucky.”

Pictures are starting to emerge from the towns hit by monster Narelle.

Here’s one of the Exmouth town beach looking a little messed up.

Early reports have the Fremantle game against Richmond at Optus Stadium being spared the worst of the weather.

Bouncedown is at 1.15pm and while there may be spurts of rain and some wind, it is expected that most of the wet weather will have passed by then.

The metropolitan area copped a downpour yesterday and overnight, with the Hills leading the way with more than 100mm.

Waikiki in the south recorded 90mm, while Perth had 47.6mm.

TOTALS

• Waikiki: 90mm
• Wellard: 75mm
• Garden Island: 63.4mm
• Jandakot: 62mm
• Gosnells: 60Mm
• Bickley: 53.4mm
• Mandurah: 53.2mm
• Perth: 47.6mm
• Osborne Park: 47.8mm
• Swanbourne: 50.6mm
• Perth Airport: 37.2mm