Cyclone Ilsa moves inland as WA residents urged to stay vigilant

Pardoo Roadhouse, 150km east of Port Hedland, Western Australia, sustained $4m worth of damage as Cyclone Ilsa bore down on it. Photograph: Kelly Anne Martinez

Communities in the path of Tropical Cyclone Ilsa are being warned to brace for dangerous weather, as the severe storm system works its way inland bringing destructive winds and flooding.

After crossing the coast early on Friday between De Grey and Pardoo as a category 5 system, Ilsa was downgraded to a category 1 cyclone by afternoon, as it tracked quickly through the eastern Pilbara with wind gusts of up to 170km/h.