Oh wow, I would LOVE to stow away and experience a cyclone. Must have been a storm chaser in a previous life! haha... Popeye, yes like me! responsible parents !!! But it would be awesome!!! lucky buggers!!!

Lol popeye your good value! Love your style

Some serious activity happening over in WA.. fantastic! Some Interesting times ahead for use all.

Any other Karrathians online???

Looks like a storm heading our way pretty quickly from the SE!!

I hope it doesn't die out before it reaches...

I hope Jason's 4wd is a Ford , Trav is so adamant on Fords . Atleast if it is , and they get too close they can just drive it into a Ditch and Bury themselves .
According to Trav FORDS love Ditchs' , never get out of em '.
In saying that , I must admit that i had a XD wagon a long time ago and it could go anywhere . The tougher the Bog , just more entry speed ....
Added Bonus , if they do have to roll it into a road side Ditch , it won't look out of Place ....

Wow seriously that is the nail on the head !! Boom! Love it

Should of taken a Toyota for the Job

Man that sat image looks hectic ! This looks to be under nice levels of shear for TC development.. Tomorrow as that trough moves east i'd expect to see some more further intensification. With increased SE feed.

I think Jason sent me a photo of the chase car I will see if I can find it.

Yeah here it is. Thats Mick driving and I think Jason, Trav and Nitso are in the back.



I better stop drinking that bourbon I think. Nite all.

Hahahahaha popeye!!!

Jtwc has her at 90 knots SUSTAINED on landfall.

Drive safely guys.

exmouth gulf filled up with big vessels this arvo, i think there were 2 anchored this morning and then last count before dark it was up around 17..

That is Gold Popeye! . . Lua starting to get a better structure to the northern side now in my opinion, before the southern side was well formed but now she's all looking good. So much activity though it's hard to keep focus on just one event. Big low south of Darwin, storms in the Pilbara, and Lua starting to crank up a notch. Warning at work today that only Essential travel was allowed on Friday onwards. Might have to take a quick look at the forecast track map that the company pays for tomorrow. Bets are still with Wallal, but would love for her to come visit Hedland with some monster rainfalls.

IDW24100
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Western Australia
Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre

Media: The Standard Emergency Warning Signal should NOT be used with this
warning.

PRIORITY

TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 3
Issued at 8:46 pm WST on Wednesday 14 March 2012

A Cyclone WATCH is current for coastal areas from Cape Leveque to Mardie.

At 8:00 pm WST Tropical Cyclone Lua, Category 2 was estimated to be
690 kilometres northwest of Karratha
780 kilometres northwest of Port Hedland
moving north at 9 kilometres per hour.

Although Lua is currently moving north it is likely to turn back towards the
Pilbara coast during Thursday. Lua is expected to intensify into a severe
tropical cyclone during Thursday and remain intense as it approaches the coast.

Gales are not expected in coastal areas during the remainder of Wednesday or on
Thursday.
Gales are expected to develop during Friday or early Saturday as the cyclone
approaches the coast.

Heavy rainfall is expected in coastal areas of the east Pilbara and west
Kimberley during Thursday and Friday.

FESA-State Emergency Service advises that there are no community alerts at
present.
Communities between Mardie and Cape Leveque should listen for the next advice.

Details of Tropical Cyclone Lua at 8:00 pm WST:
.Centre located near...... 15.7 degrees South 113.0 degrees East
.Location accuracy........ within 55 kilometres
.Recent movement.......... towards the north at 9 kilometres per hour
.Wind gusts near centre... 100 kilometres per hour and INTENSIFYING
.Severity category........ 2
.Central pressure......... 981 hectoPascals

The next advice will be issued by 3:00 am WST Thursday 15 March.

Cat 4 prediction
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60281.shtml

That far out Cat 5 is not out of the question... batten down the hatches Broome (man I know what that feels like... a shiver just went up my spine).
Good luck guys.

Ok noob question, but how big will this system be, not in wind speed, but size?

is there any chance it will come back closer to Hedland before it touches down on land??? def gave me chills coz i was thinking the same thing boomer cat 5 WOW!!!

--> Karratha Storm - Really? How quick? Dammit I have washing on the line....

Hold onto your hat Heddy... either way it is looking pretty powerful. As it stands the stronger winds appear to be to the North. So Broome may well be more worried. Having said that the models are in some conflict... JTWC is still banking on close to Hedland while the BoM seems (and I add "seems") further north.
As to Bec's question... it's pretty big.

MMMMMMMM

Yeah big difference in the models hey Boomer. I sometimes wish JTWC updated a bit more regularly. Not looking overly fantastic with the BOM latest track map but the big Southerly component that EC had this arvo in their run gives me confidence that it wil still pass 200kms+ south of here. I hope so anyway. Eighty mile Beach caravan park must be getting worried now. Not to mention alot of Broome people when they wake up tommorrow.