Cyclone Mitchell downgraded but still packing a punch

Residents of Western Australia's North West Cape have battened down the hatches as a downgraded Tropical Cyclone Mitchell pummels the coastline.

The powerful system is packing winds of up to 170km/h, heavy rainfall and flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Tiny resort town Exmouth - home to fewer than 3000 permanent residents - remains in the crosshairs of the brunt of the destructive storm.

⚠️🌀10:56pm WST: Tropical #CycloneMitchell is currently located near the North West Cape and impacting the #Exmouth and #Onslow regions. It is forecast to move down the Ningaloo and Gascoyne coasts towards Carnarvon on Monday.https://t.co/XnpJisSGt8 pic.twitter.com/RiDQrU1gqp— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) February 8, 2026

"I haven't seen the town looking so clean and tidy for as long as I can remember," Exmouth Shire president Matthew Niikkula told AAP

He said the town has not experienced a cyclone of this strength in a decade, adding conditions could be "extremely frightening".

"It's just that darkness and the screaming 200km/h winds that sound like banshees running around outside," he said.

The cyclone's destruction was rated a severe category three system before weakening to a category two on Sunday.

"We have seen a reasonable amount of rainfall - it's been the wind that has been most powerful and most impressive so far, particularly again, over those offshore islands," senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.

A Watch and Act was in place south of Onslow to Coral Bay, including Exmouth and Ningaloo.

Cyclone Mitchell is expected to track southeast, impacting western Gascoyne, Carnarvon, Denham and Gascoyne Junction on Monday.

"We expect to see heavy rainfall and storms could lead to flash flooding, could lead to rivers flooding, and will almost certainly lead to significant road closures, which may isolate communities," Mr Hines said.

"The very strong wind gusts up to over 150 kilometres an hour could bring down entire trees, damage property and cause significant power outages in the northwestern corner of the country."

The system is expected to weaken as it moves inland, becoming a category one cyclone late on Monday.

"This weather system is going to be with us for a number of days as it's going to slide southwards through the interior of Western Australia as a weakening, decaying weather system between Monday and Wednesday," Mr Hines said.