Zelia was a tropical cyclone over Australia Friday afternoon Australian Western Time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical cyclone had sustained wind speeds of 121 miles per hour, which would make it a Category 3 hurricane if it were in the Atlantic Ocean.

Locals are bracing for gusts of winds that could rip apart homes and intense rainfall that could deliver flash flooding.

Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall Friday on Australia's west coast as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained wind gusts at 180 mph, though minimal damage ensued.