Tropical Cyclone Errol is set to cross the West Australian coast as a tropical low on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology says. The latest projections show the system reaching south of Kuri Bay late on Friday afternoon. Residents and tourists in the region are being advised to prepare.
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00:00Residents on Western Australia's Kimberley Coast are getting ready for some heavy rain and wind as tropical cyclone Errol approaches.
00:10You can see on the tracking map the system is expected to continue weakening today before crossing the coast as a tropical low as early as this evening.
00:20Our reporter Dania Karagic joins us live from Broome.
00:24Hi there Dania, what are the conditions like there at the moment?
00:28Hi there Mel, so a bit of good news that system the cyclone has downgraded again to a Category 1.
00:35It was a Category 4 yesterday and a Category 2 this morning but it is now a Category 1 with winds of about 100km an hour.
00:43It is still sitting quite a while away from me here in Broome about 290km north of Broome out in the ocean and it has shifted track.
00:52So it is now coming closer towards Koorie Bay which is located about 370km north of me here.
00:59With that shift in the path it does take this area of Beagle Bay down to Broome out of the warning zone.
01:05So as you can see around me now it is sunny, there's only a bit of wind and it's quite dry.
01:10Quite a different story though for residents that are near Cockatoo Island and Cape Levique up north from me here on the Dampier Peninsula
01:17where there has been quite a bit of rain and that rain is expected to increase today and persist into tomorrow morning.
01:24There's also a warning in place for damaging wind gusts between Mitchell Plateau down to Beagle Bay as well today and tomorrow.
01:33Then it is of course the Easter long weekend. How is this disrupting plans for Broome residents?
01:41It surely is and there has been quite a bit of disruption up here.
01:45So with the Easter long weekend many residents in Broome and surrounds did have plans to travel up to the Dampier Peninsula for the Easter long weekend.
01:54Now many businesses we have spoken to have actually decided to close today and tomorrow while they are monitoring conditions.
02:01And that was following advice from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services who were warning communities and business operators up there to monitor for heavy rainfall and wind gusts.
02:12Some have decided to stay open but have warned visitors travelling up there that if the rain does persist they might be isolated there in that region as roads are due to flooding and they are mainly dirt roads up there.
02:26However there is also some positives due to it being the Easter long weekend.
02:30Many residents from the Dampier Peninsula including from Ardialoon, One Arm Point there, they are actually in Broome visiting family and friends so they are now away from that warning zone.
02:41Alright Dania and just remind us when and where is the cyclone expected to hit the coast?
02:47So the cyclone now is expected to completely weaken as it approaches the coast.
02:53With that shifting it is now expected to cross this afternoon just near Koori Bay as a tropical low so it's no longer expected to have cyclone strength.
03:01But as mentioned earlier there are warnings in place for residents to monitor conditions given heavy rainfall and increased winds there in that region.
03:11Thank you very much.
03:21You know the first time I was thinking about it is being represented by the East 17,000-1970 h or East 17,000 people being represented with what is the most expensive situation.
03:27You know when you're at the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast of the coast, the coast of the coast of the coast.