Australia Weather News

Tropical Cyclone Hayley has been downgraded to a tropical low, as it moves east across Western Australia's Kimberley coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the system, moving at 21 kilometres an hour, is continuing to weaken after making landfall about 5pm WST on Tuesday, near Djarindjin and Lombadina, on the Dampier Peninsula.

At 5:44am, BOM said the storm was tracking about 140km north east of Derby and 165km south of Kuri Bay.

BOM forecaster Patch Clapp said impacted residents saw sustained winds up to 110km/h winds, which lasted 10 minutes. 

The highest recorded wind gust was recorded at Lombadina at 158km/h.

The coastal communities also saw significant rainfall, with 131.8 millimetres recorded in the gauges.

The storm brought little rain to Broome and Derby, with falls of 40mm and 5mm, respectively. 

"In terms of the widespread nature ... (the rain) wasn't very widespread at all, really close to the path of the system," Mr Clapp said. 

'Limit movement'

As of 6am, a Cyclone Watch and Act warning remains in place for people south of Beagle Bay to Cape Leveque. 

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said while the cyclone had passed, residents in the are should limit their movements due to fallen trees, powerlines and other debris.

Heavy rainfall is also expected, with the possibility of flash flooding expected from Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

A watch and act remains in place for people north of Derby to Cockatoo island, with residents asked to continue to monitor conditions due to "severe weather as a result of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Hayley".

Wild weather

The eye of the cyclone crossed the tip of the Dampier Peninsula coastline, north of Broome, around 5pm on Tuesday evening.

Nathan McIvor, the chief executive of Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation, was in the area when the storm passed and said it had been a "wild ride".

"Over the last couple of hours it's been very, very wild. I've seen trees fall down, there's powerlines down," Mr McIvor said.

"People in the community have called me and said they've got water coming down through their walls, roofing iron is lifting up, they've got water coming through their houses."

The system sped up from 12km/h to 23km/h in the final hours before crossing the coast and had brought significant rainfall and strong winds.

"We've seen some falls around 100-150mm as the system has moved across the Dampier Peninsula, and those falls are likely to continue overnight near the track as it moves back over land," he said.

"We've seen gusts up to 158kph at Lombadina Airstrip as the system moved across the northern part of the Dampier Peninsula.

"Those gusts are starting to ease as it [Hayley] moves over land once again but still packing a punch and a lot of rainfall as well as it moves across the coast."

Debris warnings

DFES acting Kimberley superintendent Todd Pender said loose debris was a key concern for residents in the emergency warning zone.

"As those gale force winds intensify to damaging and then also to destructive, they have the propensity to pick up the debris and fly it around the community," he said.

"There is a very high potential for damage. We are going to see structures damaged by this event, unfortunately."

Mr Pender said coastal communities could experience destructive winds.

"The category three circumstances, that environment, is probably going to last right up until it gets to the coast," he said.

But Mr Pender assured the community that enough people were in place to support during the cyclone, including operational and search and rescue teams that had flown into Broome.

He said a number of State Emergency Services volunteers had also arrived to assist with recovery efforts.

Mr Pender added that a "significant" number of people had evacuated from Dampier Peninsula communities to Broome.

Community evacuates

Some of the evacuees included elders from the Djarindjin community.

Laurel Angus said it had been raining heavily in the community before they left on Tuesday.

"We had to move out. We wouldn't feel safe there with the cyclone," she said.

She said it was much safer for older people to be in Broome.

Community member Erica Kyle drove the bus of elders and described the journey as "slow" and "wet".

"They were a bit upset they had to leave their houses, but they know it's the right thing," she said.

"They need shelter, somewhere safe during the cyclone."

Ms Kyle said she would stay in Broome with her young children and look after the elders until the skies clear.

An emergency evacuation centre has been set up at the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre.