Australia's iron ore centre braces for Cyclone Rusty

Australia's three largest iron ore ports were shut down today ahead of tropical cyclone Rusty which is whipping up rough seas along the resource-rich west coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that the storm system was likely to intensify as the cyclone slowly approaches land.

"There is a high risk that Rusty will cross the coast as a severe tropical cyclone," it said in a statement.

"However, the slow motion of the cyclone means that the crossing time and location is uncertain."

Rusty was about 305 kilometres north of Port Hedland, some 1,300 kilometres north of Perth, today and there was a hurricane-force marine wind warning in place for the Pilbara coast.

A cyclone warning is in place for coastal areas from Broome, in the state's north, down to Whim Creek which lies between Port Hedland and Karratha.

"(Port) Hedland is under greater threat than Karratha, particularly of having a very direct impact," the bureau's Andrew Burton told the ABC, adding that the cyclone could intensify to a category 4, just below the top-level 5.

"But there is a risk that as Rusty comes into the coast it may stall and swing a bit further to the west, and that would bring some of those destructive wind gusts a lot closer to Karratha."
Port Hedland, a major iron ore export hub for BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals, closed early today. "Conditions are forecast to steadily deteriorate over the next 36-48 hours with increasing winds to 70-plus knots and increasing widespread rain in excess of 500 millimetres east of the system," the port authority said in a statement.

Major iron ore exporter Rio Tinto said ship loading at Cape Lambert had finished late yesterday while Dampier was due to close today. The weather bureau warned that Rusty, a large, slow-moving tropical cyclone, is likely to result in higher than usual rainfall in the Pilbara and western Kimberley and could trigger flooding.

"Rusty's intensity, size and slow movement is also likely to lead to a very dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre nears the coast," it said. "Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and very dangerous coastal inundation."

Cyclones are a common feature of Australia's warmer months on its northeast and northwest coasts.