Tropical Cyclone Blake is lying just 50 kilometres off the northwestern coast of Western Australia, and it's lashing the country with heavy rains and strong winds.
The Western Australia Bureau of Meteorology says the cyclone is just offshore from the Kimberley Coast, and it is expected to reach land later on Tuesday evening or by Wednesday morning.
ABC Australia reported that Broome was lashed with 146 millimetres of rain and wind gusts up to 100km/h as the cyclone touched the coast on Monday night, stopping flights in and out of the town. It forced over 100 people to take shelter at an evacuation centre.
The cyclone is currently moving southwest at 14km/h. There are sustained winds near the storm's centre of 75km/h with wind gusts of up to 100km/h.
Once the Category 1 system reaches land again, it's expected to weaken to a tropical low and it may bring heavy rainfall during its southwards track. Up to 200 millimetres of rain is forecast to fall in some areas in just four days and a flood warning has been issued for the De Grey River catchment area.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the likelihood of the storm remaining as a tropical cyclone on Thursday and Friday is "very low".
