Cyclone Joyce: Australian residents warned to take shelter Published duration 11 January 2018

image copyright BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY image caption A satellite image of Cyclone Joyce as it nears Australia's north-west coast

Communities in Australia's north-west are bracing for a tropical cyclone, the second to hit the region in two weeks.

Cyclone Joyce, currently a category one system, is due to make landfall near Broome in Western Australia on Friday.

Authorities have told local residents to secure their homes and take shelter.

The cyclone is tracking south and is predicted to bring winds of up to 100km/h (62mph), according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Higher tides, heavy rainfall and flash flooding are also expected over the coastal region, about 2,000km north of the state's capital, Perth.

Forecasters had predicted the cyclone could strengthen into a category three, but on Friday they said that was now unlikely.

The weather event has forced the cancellation of flights and the closure of major roads, local media reported.

Cyclone Hilda, also a category one, swept through the same region on 27 December, bringing down trees and power lines.

Australia regularly experiences cyclones during summer. Last year a powerful system battered Queensland , causing significant damage and deaths in resulting floods.

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