Originating in a broad low pressure area that formed northwest of Australia by 8 March, the storm was plagued by inhibiting wind shear for the duration of its formative stages.

Ultimately intensifying into an upper-end Category 3 severe tropical cyclone with maximum sustained 10-minute winds of 155 km/h (96 mph), Lua made landfall near the remote community of Pardoo, about 150 km (93 mi) east of Port Hedland.

The Government of Western Australia provided disaster relief funds to the hardest-hit areas, and Lua was later retired from the list of tropical cyclone names.

Cyclone Lua originated in a broad area of disturbed weather that was spawned by a deep trough of low pressure and enhanced by a Madden–Julian oscillation pulse.

Moderate vertical wind shear initially hampered intensification,[5] though the BoM designated the system Tropical Low 16U; at the time, it was centred roughly 230 km (140 mi) northwest of Karratha, Western Australia.

[9] Contrary to real-time operations, the official BoM "best track" database does not list the storm as having attained Category 1 tropical cyclone intensity until 0000 UTC on 14 March.

[4] At the time of its designation, Lua was nearly stationary in terms of forward movement, caught in the equilibrium between a blocking ridge to the southwest and increasing monsoonal winds from the northwest.

[15] With a building ridge to its north, Lua accelerated east-southeastward on 15 March,[16] and with wind shear oscillating but generally decreasing, the storm became a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone at 1800 UTC.

[20] Early on 17 March, the storm turned due south toward the Pilbara coast, and the JTWC reported that Lua's peak strength was marked by 1-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (109 mph), at 0600 UTC.

Communities between Bidyadanga and Port Hedland were under a Red Alert, the highest level of caution issued by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA).

[32][33] With the destruction wrought by Cyclone Laurence in 2009 still fresh in their minds, residents, business owners, and farmers worked hurriedly to prepare their properties and livestock for Lua's onslaught.

[35] As the storm moved inland, flood warnings were posted throughout the Kimberley and the Pilbara,[26] where officials closed public access to Karijini National Park.

[36] On coming ashore, Cyclona Lua produced strong winds, gusting to 150 km/h (93 mph) at Port Hedland,[37] and appreciable rainfall, peaking at 88.6 mm (3.49 in) at Bidyadanga.

[38] Preliminary assessments suggested that Pardoo Roadhouse and the small surrounding community bore the brunt of the storm, as most towns and farms in the region escaped relatively unscathed.

[43] In the aftermath of the storm, the Western Australia state government allocated relief funds to offset the cost of recovery and clean-up in several of the affected towns.

Individuals and families became eligible to apply for personal grants and small business owners would be considered for special interest rates on new loans.

[44] Local government entities listed under the proclamation were the shires of Ashburton, Broome, East Pilbara, Meekatharra, and the Town of Port Hedland.