Joyce all huff and puff

Moderate to high winds and heavy rain have bucketed down on Broome in the wake of Cyclone Joyce, which tracked past the Kimberley town last night.

Broome had been on yellow alert since 3pm Wednesday, but the weather system failed to intensify beyond a category one and caused little damage in the town.

A yellow alert has been issued from Bidyadanga, 185km south of Broome, to Wallal.

Joyce hugged the coast overnight and currently lies around 50km to the north-east of Wallal Downs Station.

It currently remains a category one system and is expected to move inland this afternoon and weaken overnight.

Wind gusts reached 61km/h in Broome last night and 88mm of rain has fallen on the town in the past 24 hours.

Flights in and out of Broome until 1.50pm have been cancelled, with all others dependent on today’s weather conditions. The Port of Broome will stay closed today.

Nearly 200 residents and visitors took shelter at the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre over the past two nights.

Broome Police Senior Sergeant Brendon Barwick said there had been no reports of any major damage or injury.

The Shire of Broome said there had been no significant damage to council property and Shire workers managed drainage in town overnight.

The tip and all unsealed roads within the Shire of Broome remain closed to all traffic.

The emergency evacuation centre was shut down at 8am today.

Great Northern Highway reopened at midday today.

The highway remained closed between Roebuck Plains Roadhouse and Willare Bridge Roadhouse.

The Shire will continue to provide road condition updates here.