The world's largest bulk export port has reopened after the severe tropical cyclone swept through WA's north. An expert says the three-day shutdown leaves "big holes to be filled".

Port Hedland has been spared from the destructive core of Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia, with the system making landfall as a category four system northeast of the WA town. Cyclone Zelia crossed the coast near De Grey River mouth at 12.30pm on Friday.

An emergency warning is in place for parts of the Pilbara, including the town of Port Hedland, as severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia approaches the coast.

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.

Pictures have revealed the extensive damage caused to a pastoral station in WA's north west as ex-tropical cyclone Zelia continues to dump heavy rain across the Pilbara region.

The storm’s winds equaled those of a Category 4 hurricane, and residents were told to stay indoors to shelter from destructive winds and flooding.

The clean-up is continuing in WA's Pilbara region for towns impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia, but the road to recovery is still far from over. Major highways connecting towns with the rest of the state remain closed amid concerns food supplies are running low further north.