About a dozen schools have been shut in the state’s north and roads were set to be closed with the cyclone looming about 140km north of Port Hedland and sustained winds near the centre of the system reaching 205km/h, with wind gusts to 285km/h.
The BoM said the cyclone remained slow-moving and was forecast to move south to the coast on Friday, with destructive winds likely for communities on the Pilbara coast as early as Friday morning.
Damaging wind gusts of up to 120km/h were developing on Thursday afternoon on the coast between De Grey and Whim Creek, including Port Hedland, which could move west from Friday.
Port Hedland resident Chris Ward said cyclone preparations were well under way on in the iron ore town of about 16,000.
Schools have been closed as northern Australia braces for a tropical cyclone that has developed into a destructive category five system.
