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Tropical Cyclone Mitchell strengthens as Pilbara landfall approaches

Source Weatherzone Sat 07 Feb 2026

Tropical Cyclone Mitchell has intensified off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, with warnings for destructive winds, heavy rainfall, dangerous surf and coastal flooding over the weekend.  At 2 am AWST on Saturday, Mitchell was a category 1 tropical cyclone located to the north of Port Hedland, moving west southwest while continuing to strengthen over warm ocean waters. The system is forecast to intensify further today, with the potential to reach category 2 strength before turning more southwest and approaching the Pilbara coast late Sunday.  Image: Infrared satellite imagery showing Tropical Cyclone Mitchell intensifying off the northwest WA coast early Saturday. Source: Weatherzone. Damaging winds and dangerous marine conditions for the Pilbara  As Mitchell intensifies, destructive wind gusts up to 150 km/h may develop near the core of the system, particularly along coastal parts of the Pilbara including Karratha, Dampier and Wickham. Gale force winds with damaging gusts to 120km/h are expected to extend well away from the centre, impacting coastal and inland parts of the western Pilbara through Sunday.  Image: GFS forecast wind gusts on Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Mitchell impacts the Pilbara coast. Source: Weatherzone.  Large and powerful waves, combined with abnormally high tides, are expected to generate dangerous marine conditions and increase the risk of coastal inundation and storm surge between Wickham and Exmouth this weekend.  Flooding rain to spread across coastal and inland WA  In addition to the wind threat, Mitchell is forecast to deliver widespread moderate to locally heavy rainfall, with the risk of flash flooding developing across parts of the Pilbara from later today and persisting into early next week.  As the cyclone weakens and moves inland, heavy rain may spread further south and east across WA’s interior, potentially affecting normally dry catchments and river systems. Image: Forecast accumulated rainfall to Tuesday 10th morning as the system moves south and weakens over western WA. Source: Weatherzone. Some uncertainty remains around intensity  The precise impacts will depend on how long Mitchell remains offshore and how quickly it turns towards the coast. Should Mitchell spend more time over warm waters, the system may strengthen further, with category 3 intensity possible before landfall.  Residents, communities and industries across the Pilbara and Gascoyne are urged to monitor the latest tropical cyclone advisories, warnings and forecast updates as the situation continues to evolve.  - Weatherzone © Weatherzone 2026