Good Friday as cyclone crosses coast as a tropical low
William Ton and Aaron Bunch |
A cyclone barrelling towards communities in Australia’s northwest has weakened to a tropical low as it made landfall but residents are still not in the clear.
Ex-tropical cyclone Errol crossed the Kimberley coast near Kuri Bay as a tropical low on Friday afternoon after downgrading from a category one system throughout the morning.
The weather system which has been as intense as a category four, had been gradually decaying as it tracked from the Indian Ocean towards Western Australia’s coast.
“It started to stretch out on one side and weaken away on the other and now it’s very hard to see where the centre of this tropical system should be,” senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.
The weather system is expected to move inland into central Kimberley during Saturday.
Middle Lagoon campground manager Herbie Stewart lost some business after campgoers cancelled and left the grounds on Thursday night in anticipation of Errol’s arrival.
“Some were a little bit hesitant yesterday … because they weren’t sure what the cyclone would do, so they cancelled,” he told AAP.
But with the system weakening and passing north of his grounds, he said the feeling is different and it feels like a normal day.
“I’ve had a couple of customers ringing up and are on their way out now or tomorrow, but they’re coming out because they know the cyclone is gone,” he said.
Mr Stewart is pleading for the state government to fix and maintain the road into the region.
Destructive winds are likely to ease as Errol moves inland, making way for heavy rainfall over the next few days that could lead to flash flooding, Mr Hines said.
“It’s likely that rainfall will be the most significant weather impact through this part of the country,” the meteorologist said.
Coastal communities could face up to 200mm of rain as the cyclone arrives, while those inland may cop up to 100mm, he said.
Authorities have urged people to prepare their homes and secure items, including boats and caravans, and anyone in the area should monitor weather conditions and review their travel plans.
Errol intensified to a category four system late on Wednesday – the second-highest classification.
As a tropical low, Errol could damage trees, caravans and crops, and may cause watercraft to drag moorings, but minimal impact to buildings is expected.
Northern WA has had two cyclones this season, with ex-tropical cyclone Sean reaching category three but steering away from the coast in January, and Dianne crossing the Kimberley coast as a category two system in late March.
AAP
