Tropical Cyclone Olwyn Near Carnarvon, Australia

The center of Tropical Cyclone Olwyn has been moving roughly parallel to the coast of Western Australia and it is near Carnarvon.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Cyclone Olwyn was located at latitude 24.6°S and longitude 113.4°E which put it about 20 miles northwest of Carnarvon and about 100 miles north of Denham, Australia.  Olwyn was moving toward the south-southwest at 15 m.p.h.  The maximum sustained wind speed was 100 m.p.h. and there were gusts to 120 m.p.h.  The minimum surface pressure was 959 mb.  Earlier on Thursday the airport at Learmonth measured sustained winds to 84 m.p.h. and a pressure of 970 mb when the center of Olwyn passed just to its west.

Olwyn is being steered southward by a subtropical ridge to its east.  The projected path takes the center of circulation inland and then moves it parallel to the coast.  When Olwyn moves inland it will start to weaken.  However, if there is a slight deviation of the track to the west which keeps the center of circulation over water for a longer period of time, it would keep the circulation stronger.  The latter possibility would extend the risk for wind damage farther south along the coast.  In either case, the clockwise rotation around the center and the shape of the coast could produce a significant storm surge in Shark Bay.  There is also a potential for locally heavy rainfall and flooding near the coast.