2018 Broome flood

The 2018 Broome flood was a severe flood that occurred in January and February 2018 in and around Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.[1]

2018 Broome flood
DateJanuary and February 2018
LocationIn and around Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Property damageAround 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the road between Broome and Derby

The flooding was triggered following record breaking rainfall. Broome received 1,502 millimetres (59 in) of rainfall in the first two months of 2018, the equivalent of two years worth.[2]

The rainfall was caused by Cyclone Joyce, which struck Broome on 12 January 2018. Another tropical low struck the area two weeks later, which delivered further rains.[3] Cyclone Kelvin then hit on 16 February.[2]

Dampier Creek and other waterways burst their banks and inundated low-lying areas. The town became isolated when the Great Northern Highway was cut to the south and east of the town.[2] Some residents of surrounding areas had to be evacuated and supplies had to be air dropped to isolated communities.[2]

An area of the Kimberley about the size of Victoria was isolated once the highway was cut. The floodwater also caused damage to around 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the road between Broome and Derby with another 12 km (7 mi) remaining underwater south of Broome near Roebuck Plains a week after the floods.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Broome flooding: amazing video shows drivers ploughing through 'ocean' of water". The West Australian. Seven West Media. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. "Broome smashes annual rainfall record in less than two months as Cyclone Kelvin caps big wet". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. "Broome lost in the flood of a tropical superstorm". WA Today. Fairfax Media. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  4. Emily Jane Smith (2 February 2018). "Area bigger than Victoria isolated in Kimberley after floods leave highway underwater". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
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