{"id":378998,"date":"2025-12-29T21:22:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/378998\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T21:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:22:17","slug":"cyclone-hayley-expected-to-hit-northern-wa-coast-as-category-three-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/378998\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyclone Hayley expected to hit northern WA coast as category three system"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tropical Cyclone Hayley has been upgraded to a category four system and residents living on Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula have been told prepare for “severe impacts” when the system makes landfall tonight.<\/p>\n

Hayley is expected to cross the Kimberley coastline near Cape Leveque, about 200 kilometres north of Broome, as a category three system this evening.<\/p>\n

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the cyclone had likely reached its peak strength and was expected to start weakening today prior to making landfall.<\/p>\n

Winds near the centre of the storm had reached 165 kilometres per hour, with wind gusts up to 230km\/h.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"wide<\/p>\n

Residents of the Dampier Peninsula, including Cockatoo Island, are in the cyclone warning zone. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)<\/p>\n

The bureau has issued warning for residents living along the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome to Cockatoo Island, including Derby.<\/p>\n

Communities along the coast, including Beagle Bay, Djarindjin and Ardyaloon, are in the warning zone.<\/p>\n

While Broome is no longer subject to warnings, Kuri Bay remains on alert.<\/p>\n

\"cyclone<\/p>\n

In the latest advice (2:51am WST) Tropical Cyclone Hayley is forecast to make landfall as a category three system. (Bureau of Meterology (BOM))<\/p>\n

Hayley could bring wind speeds up to 170km\/h\u00a0<\/p>\n

BOM senior meteorologist Luke Huntington said very “destructive wind gusts” of up to 170km\/h were possible from mid-Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

“[It will be] very windy and that would be one of the main impacts,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re expecting heavy rainfall close to the system path.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Djarindjin community is experiencing heavy rainfall. (Supplied: Nathan McIvor, CEO Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Mr Huntington said isolated downpours of between 200 and 300 millimetres could lead to flash flooding.<\/p>\n

Once Cyclone Hayley makes landfall, the weather bureau expects the system to dissipate into a tropical low as it tracks further east on New Years’ Eve.<\/p>\n

\"Cape<\/p>\n

Residents are being warned the cyclone could threaten people’s lives. (Supplied: David Broun, file photo)<\/p>\n

‘Take shelter’<\/p>\n

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said residents from south of Beagle Bay to Cockatoo Island, including Derby, should prepare to take shelter.<\/p>\n

The latest advice, issued at 3am WST, said there was a possible threat to lives and homes and it was no longer safe to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An evacuation centre has been set up at Broome’s Recreation and Aquatic Centre for affected residents.<\/p>\n

\"Yellow<\/p>\n

An evacuation centre has opened in Broome for impacted residents, including people who have evacuated from the peninsula.\u00a0 (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)<\/p>\n

DFES Acting Superintendent Todd Pender said the region’s early cyclone preparations meant remote communities were well stocked with food and water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We work with various outlets and contractors, including gas, just to make sure stocks are at their maximum of what the town can hold,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"middle-aged<\/p>\n

DFES Acting Kimberley Superintendent Todd Pender says communities are well prepared. (ABC Kimberley: Rachel Jackson\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Mr Pender said road closures and some damage were likely.<\/p>\n

“These systems always have the potential to cause some damage to the environment and also to communities,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Pender said it was important that people were prepared and had found suitable shelter.<\/p>\n

“If people don’t think they are prepared for this system, then we suggest they probably need to relocate now and consider self-relocation,” he said.<\/p>\n

“As the system comes through, that’s the point of no return and that’s too late to be asking for assistance because if we go to an emergency warning … people won’t be out moving around, including emergency responders.”Potential for unusually high tides<\/p>\n

The Bureau of Meteorology says tides may be higher than normal as Cyclone Hayley approaches the coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the bureau said a storm surge was unlikely, Shire of Derby-West Kimberley president Peter McCumstie said low-lying areas in Derby were susceptible to flooding.<\/p>\n

Mr McCumstie said it was important people were aware of the cyclone’s potential impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have new residents to our town coming in at this time of the year and throughout the month of January, February and March and it’s important for them to get the right information,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The next official BOM and DFES advice is expected at 6am WST.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

Derby Shire President Peter McCumstie is urging residents to properly prepare before Cyclone Hayley crosses the coast.\u00a0 (ABC Kimberley)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tropical Cyclone Hayley has been upgraded to a category four system and residents living on Western Australia’s Dampier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,145729,203210,22561,44,147353],"class_list":{"0":"post-378998","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cyclone","11":"tag-cyclone-hayley","12":"tag-kimberley","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-tropical-cyclone"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}