Cyclone Billy heads to Western Australia by Alex Deakin
Tropical cyclones Billy and Cinda continue to churn out in the Indian Ocean, with Billy tracking towards Western Australia; packing winds of 81mph (130kph). Cinda continues to travel out into the Indian Ocean, with wind speeds of 46mph (73kph) but is not expected to make landfall.
Billy is expected to make landfall this weekend, with Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology forecasting gales and potentially heavy rain along the north-west coast on Saturday. It is expected to weaken overnight as it crosses the north Kimberley region, but forecasters say it could redevelop back into a cyclone by the end of the weekend.
Last February, a powerful cyclone lashed North West Australia, forcing the closure of numerous oil companies. Cyclone Nicholas lashed the coast with strong winds and heavy rain, disrupting 40% of the countries oil output.
Both cyclones have arrived late in the year, with the majority of tropical storms normally occurring between May and November.
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