Australia Weather News

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Mitchell has crossed Western Australia's Gascoyne coast. 

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the cyclone crossed just before 1am today, east of Shark Bay.

The system is expected to weaken as it tracks further south-east and heads inland through the Gascoyne region.

The BOM has warned residents that damaging winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour and flash flooding are possible. 

A Cyclone Watch and Act warning remains in place for Denham and Shark Bay, including Monkey Mia and Overlander Roadhouse.

No major damage

As of 10pm AWST on Monday, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Incident Controller Will Blackshaw said there were no reports of major damage in Carnarvon or Coral Bay.

"We're hoping that in the morning, when people get up and have a look around, we won't see too much more damage," Mr Blackshaw said.

"But certainly, it's looking better than not at the moment."

Mr Blackshaw said the impacts of Ex-Cyclone Mitchell were still being felt in Shark Bay, with rainfall totals surpassing 80 millimetres since 9am Monday.

"I'm just getting reports in now of approximately 200mm of rain in Monkey Mia and about 80mm in Denham," he said.

"[There was also a] little bit of water ingress into some properties there."

Mr Blackshaw said emergency crews would continue to monitor any potential damage in Shark Bay.

"We do a lot of preparatory work before these events, and that doesn't stop," he said.

"We're still busy making the next plans of how we'll get resources into different areas if we need."

The system has been hugging WA's north west coastline and travelling south since Friday.

An evacuation centre remains open at the Shark Bay Recreation Centre.

A number of schools will reopen in the Pilbara, however several schools in Shark Bay will be closed to all staff and students on Tuesday. 

Rainfall welcomed

In the West Pilbara, Yalleen Station recorded 95 millimetres of rain brought by Ex-Cyclone Mitchell.

Pastoralist Michael Percy said the downpour broke a three-year dry spell at the station.

"These sort of systems are what we all look out for, because they bring that sort of general rain that's over the wide area, which is what we really need," he said.

"We've had some really useful rain, which we were starting to worry we weren't going to get.

Like many stations around the West Pilbara region, Yalleen has recorded several years of below-average rainfall.

For pastoralists in this region, cyclones can be good news if they result in much-needed water.

Mr Percy said the rain on the station over the weekend would make a "huge difference".

"It definitely changes our outlook entirely," he said.

"But unfortunately, there's a lot of people that will have missed out on this."

Liam Forrester at Winning Station, about 220 kilometres north of Carnarvon, said he was forecast to receive a deluge of up to 80mm of rain from about 4am Monday.

But he only recorded between 15 and 20mm.

"We're extremely grateful … but it is hard not to be a little bit disappointed with how dry it is," he said.

"We were hoping to break the drought here, but we look forward to the next one."