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Tropical Cyclone Joyce: parts of WA on red alert over 'threat to lives and homes' Tropical Cyclone Joyce fails to intensify off Western Australian coast
(about 9 hours later)
Communities in Western Australia’s north-west have been warned to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Joyce amid fears it will grow into an even more severe storm off the west Kimberley coast. Residents in the Western Australian tourist town of Broome have been spared the worst after Tropical Cyclone Joyce failed to intensify to a category three system and headed down the Kimberley coast.
A red alert has been issued for areas south of Broome to the Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga in the Kimberley, with people urged to take shelter and stay away from doors and windows. A yellow alert had been in place for the town since Wednesday afternoon and remained in place on Friday afternoon for areas south of the Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga to Wallal Downs as Joyce continued to journey down the seaboard.
“There is a threat to lives and homes,” the alert from Emergency WA states. “You are in danger and need to act immediately.” The Bureau of Meteorology said Joyce was now expected to cross the Kimberley coast as a category one cyclone.
There is a also yellow alert to prepare to take shelter for areas from Beagle Bay down to Broome, and for areas south of Bidyadanga to Wallal. Joyce was declared a category one cyclone on Thursday morning with winds of 65km/h, and had been forecast to grow to a far more dangerous category three on Friday with winds up to 180km/h.
Tropical Cyclone Joyce approaching the coast near Bidyadanga at category 1 intensity. #CycloneJoyce https://t.co/B1MVXBYXhh pic.twitter.com/IvVBiGXDUc “It’s passed Bidyadanga, but sitting near the coast it means that it hasn’t strengthened overnight,” forecaster Craig Earl-Spurr said.
It is the region’s second cyclone in a fortnight after Tropical Cyclone Hilda hit the Broome area. “So the good thing about it getting to the coast a bit sooner is that it has less time to develop and we don’t expect to see any impacts greater than a category one.”
The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Thursday that Joyce was expected to intensify considerably while moving south-west. 🌀 Tropical Cyclone Joyce 🌀An ALL CLEAR has been issued for people in #Broome to #Bidyadanga. The threat has passed but take care to avoid the dangers caused by damage. https://t.co/B0MlUB0OPf pic.twitter.com/11gq7iQugD
Joyce was declared a category one cyclone on Thursday morning with winds of 65km/h but is set to grow to a far more dangerous category three by Friday with winds up to 180km/h. Joyce was early on Friday afternoon about 10km off the coast of Eight Mile beach and was expected to keep moving on a south-westerly trajectory, weakening as it hit the mainland overnight, before moving through the central Pilbara and inland Gascoyne on Saturday.
Authorities are concerned that the longer the system remains offshore the more it will strengthen before potentially hitting populated areas such as Port Hedland in the Pilbara on Friday night or Saturday morning. The wind threat was expected to ease later on Friday, but heavy rainfall was likely to continue, with Broome recording 88mm in the past 24 hours.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services regional head Glenn Hall on Thursday ordered the closure of the Great Northern Highway between Port Hedland and Broome for 36 to 48 hours. Perth was forecast to receive some heavy rain due to the unstable fall, but when and how much was uncertain.
Emergency crews have been sent to Broome from Perth while an evacuation centre set up is already providing shelter for almost 150 people. Main roads remained closed including Broome Cape Leveque Road and Great Northern Highway between Roebuck Roadhouse and Marble Bar Road Intersection.
🚗GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY UPDATE🚗Road between Willare and Roebuck Roadhouse Plains closed. Road between Port Hedland and Broome open. pic.twitter.com/WaqAcRsTBd
A flood warning was in place for the West Kimberley district and residents in the De Grey river catchment, including the towns of Marble Bar and Nullagine, with a flood watch active for Pilbara coastal rivers, Fortescue river, Ashburton river and Gascoyne coast rivers catchments.
It was the region’s second cyclone in a fortnight after Tropical Cyclone Hilda hit the Broome area.