Tropical Cyclone Luana smashes Western Australian coastline north of Broome
Tropical Cyclone Luana hit the Western Australian coastline, bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
The Category 2 system made landfall north of Broome, about 2000km north of Perth, on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the cyclone brought winds of 95 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 130 kilometers per hour as it crossed the coast.
It is currently moving east to southeast at a speed of 12 km per hour.
A Hurricane Emergency Warning is in place from Coulomb Point to Cape Leveque, with emergency services warning there is a threat to life and homes.
BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said Luana would bring “dangerous weather” to communities along the Kimberly coast and northern Australia over the long weekend.
“Damaging winds of up to 120km/h are also possible for southern parts of the warning area, including Broome, as we move into the remainder of Saturday,” he said.
“Heavy rains are also possible to cause flash flooding, which can lead to roads being flooded and communities isolated.”
The cyclone is expected to move southwards, bringing heavy rain to inland Western Australia early next week.
It is expected to drop below tropical hurricane strength after moving inland Sunday morning.
A flood watch is in force for a wide area of the state, with 150-200mm of rain expected in the West Kimberley over the next 48 hours.
Evacuation centers have been opened at Broome Recreation and Aquatics Center and Derby Civic Centre.
