Communities north of Broome have been urged to secure their boats, caravans and outdoor furniture and prepare for flooding as a severe tropical cyclone gathers off the coast of Western Australia.
WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has asked communities in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions to prepare emergency plans, including a first aid kit, portable radio, food and water.
Thunderstorms are expected to drench the state’s north on Monday and Tuesday as the tropical low off the coast continues to develop into a cyclone, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Meanwhile, the area between Kalumburu and Kuri Bay could see some of the highest tides of the year.
The cyclone is expected to track southwest to waters off Broome by Wednesday and likely cause a “severe impact” along the coast between the popular holiday town and Port Hedland on Thursday or Friday.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore told ABC TV that winds near the core of the system could reach 250km/h.
“Those kinds of winds are likely to see widespread property damage,” he told the national broadcaster on Monday.
“Bring down trees, powerlines, power outages, and hundreds of millimetres of rainfall is likely to wash out roads.
“Possible isolation and stranding of communities, residents and travellers - so yeah, some really terrible conditions up there when it does cross later this week.”
The Gibb River Road from Mount Barnett to Pentecost River is closed.
Severe flooding hit parts of the Kimberley region in January, splitting the town of Fitzroy Crossing, destroying homes and roads and leaving many communities cut off with key transport routes closed.
Narramore also said a cold snap would continue across most of the country over the next week, with eastern states experiencing cooler temperatures, reaching 10C below average for this time of year.
He said the Easter weekend brought heavy rainfall, high winds and hazardous surf conditions, and those conditions would continue into Wednesday when another weather system moves in with more heavy rainfall.
