Tropical cyclone warning for residents on 350km stretch of West Australian coastline

Communities in northern Western Australia are bracing for a possible tropical cyclone expected to bring large waves, high winds and heavy rain.

A tropical cyclone watch was issued on Sunday for a 350km stretch of coast between Cockatoo Island and Bidyadanga, including Broome.

The tropical low was expected to move along the Kimberley coast on Sunday, whipping up damaging gusts of up to 100km/h.

It was then forecast to reach tropical cyclone intensity late on Sunday or early Monday.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said gales could develop as early as Monday morning with increased rain and large waves expected from late Sunday.

“Forecast rainfall in the flood watch area is expected to result in river rises, areas of flooding and may adversely affect road conditions,” she said.

“Roads may quickly become impassable and some communities may become isolated once that rain starts to fall.”

Between Tuesday and Thursday, the weather system was expected to move southwest towards the Pilbara coast and further strengthen as a tropical cyclone.

Ms Bradbury said there were still “a number of ways” the weather could play out.

“This will depend on how quickly the tropical low becomes a tropical cyclone, and how much energy it can tap into to sustain its cyclone strength,” she said.

“We are likely to see further gale force winds, however, with damaging wind gusts, locally heavy (rain) falls and flooding, high tides and large waves along the northwest WA coast as the system continues to develop.”

Parts of NSW and Victoria were also expected to be battered by severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain on Monday.

The severe weather follows days of heavy rain in north Queensland where coastal and inland centres including Townsville, Cardwell and Ingham have been most affected.