Cyclone Zelia, located off Western Australia's Pilbara coast, is expected to make landfall on 13 February, posing a threat to the region's iron ore, lithium, and manganese exports. According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the cyclone is anticipated to develop into a category three system as it heads towards Western Australia's mines.

The Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) announced the closure of Port Hedland, Australia's largest iron ore export hub, at 6pm local time on 12 February, with ships already being cleared from its berths. Port Walcott, another export facility west of Port Hedland, is also emptying its berths in preparation for the cyclone.

Cyclone Zelia is expected to impact several key mining sites, including Fortescue's Iron Bridge mine, Mineral Resources' Wodgina lithium mine, Pilbara Minerals' Pilgangoora lithium mine, and three Atlas Iron mines on 14 February. It will then move south, affecting Fortescue's Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak iron ore mines, the Roy Hill iron mine, and Consolidated Minerals' Woodie Woodie manganese mine before dissipating on 15 February.

This marks the third weather-related disruption to Western Australia's ports this year. Cyclone Sean caused flooding and the closure of all PPA export facilities in late January, while Cyclone Tahlia led to a decline in Rio Tinto's exports in early February. Western Australia has experienced similar extreme weather events in the past, including Cyclone Veronica in March 2019 and Cyclone Isla in April 2024.

Iron ore prices have risen over the last month, with Argus' Iron ore fines 62% Fe (ICX) cfr Qingdao price increasing to $105.80/t on 11 February from $97.90/t on 13 January.