Western Australia is preparing for what may be the worst tropical cyclone in years. The Kimberley region in the north of the state of Western Australia, which is also popular with tourists, could be particularly affected, meteorologists warned.
So far, the weather system is still over the sea, but is moving towards the coast, where the storm will arrive in the next few days. Once classified as a cyclone, the storm will be named Ilsa.
It could possibly be a Category 4 cyclone, meteorologist Jessica Lingard told Australian broadcaster ABC. These are “incredibly destructive,” as hurricanes Tracy (1974) and Debbie (2017) proved. “Heavy impacts” are expected along the coast between Port Hedland and Broome on Thursday or Friday, news site News.com.au wrote.
Experts expected massive gusts of wind and heavy rain. Residents were asked to make their homes storm-proof. Hamster purchases have already taken place in some supermarkets, it said. It was only in January that there was a flood of the century in the Kimberley region after extremely heavy rainfall.