Australia Hit by Its Strongest Cyclone Ever

Packing gusts up to 185 mph, the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in Australia lashed the northwestern coast today, damaging homes, forcing evacuations and ripping up trees. No injuries were immediately reported.

Cyclone John, which at its peak had sustained winds of 130 mph, moved over land near the tiny community of Whim Creek, bringing driving rain and mighty gusts that caused power outages.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Bryan Boase said it was “unequivocally” the strongest cyclone to hit Australia since the government began keeping records.

“We’re looking at winds of almost 300 kilometers [185 miles] an hour and, quite frankly, that’s bloody unbelievable,” he said, referring to the gusts. The bureau declared the cyclone Category 5, the most powerful.

The storm lost power as it crossed the coast, and later it was downgraded to Category 4, with sustained winds of 106 mph.

Telephone service was knocked out in Whim Creek, a community believed to have about a dozen residents, 750 miles north of Perth, the Western Australia state capital. Reports said residents were huddling in a freight container anchored to the ground with chains and concrete blocks.

Storm surges of up to 20 feet were expected to cause heavy flooding in sparsely populated low-lying coastal regions. Experts said the affected area was likely to have escaped major damage because the storm did not pass over any large communities.