Warning for travellers, residents as Cyclone Errol intensifies to category four (2025)

A cyclone off the northern West Australian coast has intensified into a category four system overnight as it continues to track towards Kimberley communities north of Broome.

After tracking west north of the Kimberley coast over the past 24 hours, Severe Tropical Cyclone Errol was forecast to make an abrupt u-turn overnight, before continuing to track back towards land.

While it's expected to weaken as it approaches the coast, communities in the West Kimberley are warned to expect gale force winds and heavy rain into the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology's latest projection, released at 2am WST on Thursday morning, showed Errol about 510 kilometres north-west of Broome.

Destructive wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour may develop between Cockatoo Island to Beagle Bay later Friday, but only if Errol moves faster than forecast.

The bureau warns damaging wind could also extend further south to Broome, if the track shifts slightly south of its current forecast.

Isolated heavy rain may also develop between Kuri Bay and Broome throughout Friday and during Saturday morning as Errol approaches and crosses the coast.

Cyclone moving towards land

Meteorologist Helen Reid said the cyclone would slow down in coming days.

"We are expecting it to take a bit of a 'U-turn' and instead of taking a westward track, head south-east and back towards the coastline," she said.

"We do also expect it to weaken as it does that over the coming days and into the long weekend, but we are going to be seeing an increase in winds and rainfall, particularly on Friday and Saturday, along that West Kimberley coastline."

Ms Reid said residents should still take caution despite the system weakening.

"Even if it hasn't still got that strength of a category one cyclone and becomes an ex-tropical cyclone, we do still expect to see some very strong winds," she said.

"If you're looking at those coastal waters, you'll see a sense of gale strength winds on that West Kimberley coastline on Friday.

"And heavier rainfall — we could see even triple figures on some of those coastal locations."

Remote residents making preparations

One Arm Point resident Rosanna Angus said she and her neighbours were preparing for wild weather.

"We've been advising families to fill their boats that are around their yards with water … take away their vehicles from under the trees so fallen trees won't damage their cars or vehicles," she said.

"Even inside the yards, moving anything that can be flown around."

While the weather has been largely calm, she said afternoon rain had been intensifying over the Dampier Peninsula in recent days.

She said a basketball carnival set to bring more than 200 people to the peninsula over the Easter Weekend had been cancelled due to the weather.

At the nearby Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, Managing Director James Brown said preparations were well underway.

"It's been hanging around above us for a long time now, so we did most of the preparations as it was swinging down from the NT," he said.

"Most things are done; boats are either pulled out of the water or the bigger boats are on their cyclone moorings.

"We've tied down everything that we possibly can, and now we just live by every update we get every three hours."