A strong cyclone that made landfall in Western Australia as a category five storm broke a record for wind speed while avoiding serious damage to populated areas.

Just before midnight (17:00 BST), severe tropical cyclone Ilsa made landfall close to Port Hedland, the largest iron ore export hub in the world.

Although the hurricane has been downgraded to category 2, certain inland communities are still under warning.

The cyclone is the most powerful to strike the area in roughly 14 years.

“Port Hedland dodged a bullet last night,” according to Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Todd Smith, due to a late south-easterly adjustment in the storm’s direction.

Mayor of Port Hedland, Peter Carter, characterised the wind’s sound as “very eerie and unusual” and “like a goods train” when it hit the town.

Authorities advised inland populations to remain watchful as the storm moved to the east.

The Acting Emergency Services Minister for WA, Sue Ellery, informed reporters that “there are several remote communities and mining operations which are yet to be impacted.”

The Pardoo roadhouse, a well-known local bar and campground that was directly in the line of the storm, sustained “great damage,” according to its proprietors, who posted on Facebook.

However, the region’s fire chief stated that there have been no reports of human injuries thus far, and all crucial infrastructure was unharmed by the cyclone.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) quoted Peter Sutton as saying, “Once we can get crews on the ground and helicopters in the air… we will move along the coast just to check to see roads and other critical infrastructure.”

As the storm made landfall, winds of 135.5 mph (218 km/h) were measured on Bedout Island, close off the coast, setting an initial record for Australia’s 10-minute sustained winds.

When Cyclone George hit the nation in 2007, winds were measured at 120.5 mph (194 km/h), setting the previous record.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Ilsa is expected to weaken even more during the course of Saturday night and Sunday as its extremely damaging winds approach inland.

Ezra Holt of Channel Nine reported from Port Hedland to the BBC that locals there made last-minute preparations by sandbagging and safeguarding their homes and businesses as the storm neared.

Due to the rarity of cyclones this powerful, he continued, there were mixed feelings in the community, with some residents not too concerned and others more so.

As the storm approached, it is said that ships, including iron ore transports, were evacuated from the Port Hedland harbour.

In 2009, Cyclone Laurence, a category five cyclone, struck Western Australia. Three individuals were killed by Cyclone George, a category five cyclone that ripped through mining camps south of Port Hedland two years prior.

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