Dramatic footage shows parts of a remote town underwater in WA's north west after ex-tropical cyclone Zelia turned streets into rivers across the Pilbara region.

The storm is expected to make landfall Friday afternoon, with wind gusts of up to 180 miles per hour. A port crucial to the global economy has shut down.

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.