Perth could face heavy rain and strong winds this weekend as Tropical Cyclone Narelle tracks down Western Australia’s coast, in what forecasters say would be a highly unusual southern reach for a cyclone, according to reporting by WA Today.
The cyclone has already crossed Queensland and the Northern Territory before heading towards WA. The Bureau of Meteorology said it is the first time since 2005 that a single cyclone has affected all three of Australia’s tropical regions in one event.
Forecasts remain uncertain. One track shows the system continuing down the coast towards Perth, while another suggests it could turn inland earlier and affect Mid-West towns such as Geraldton or Kalbarri instead.
Senior meteorologist Angus Hines told WA Today that the system does not have many recent comparisons.
“It is unique as a weather system... Tropical Cyclone Ingrid was the last time a similar path was created more than 20 years ago, but it reached the Kimberley and did not travel much further down.
It would be very unusual if this system were to come down as far as Perth,” Hines said.
WA Today reported that Perth has only been affected by cyclones 15 times in the past 100 years or about once every 6.6 years. Even so, Hines said Narelle’s possible track would still be unusual because of how far south it may travel.
The system has already caused severe weather across northern Australia. It reached category 5 strength in the Coral Sea before making landfall in far north Queensland as a category 4 cyclone. As it moved across the Northern Territory, it weakened but still brought heavy rain.
If the current forecast holds, the worst weather in WA could arrive on Sunday. Hines said up to 100 millimetres of rain is possible between Geraldton and Perth. Rain may also reach Esperance and Albany if the system continues further south.
As the system moves to populated areas, insurers are also preparing for possible impacts. The Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation has already classified Narelle as a Declared Cyclone Event, setting the official claims period for eligible household, strata, and small business policies and assigning it the code 20260317-Narelle for tracking losses.
Simultaneously, major insurers have activated their event response plans, with companies such as IAG monitoring the cyclone’s path using real-time mapping tools and positioning claims staff, assessors, and repair teams in areas likely to be affected ahead of a potential surge in claims.
