The 2018 Broome flood was a severe flood that occurred in January and February 2018 in and around Broome in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. The flooding was triggered following record breaking rainfall. Broome received of rainfall in the first two months of 2018, the equivalent of two years worth. The rainfall was caused by Cyclone Joyce, which struck Broome on 12 January 2018. Another

tropical low A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

struck the area two weeks later, which delivered further rains. Cyclone Kelvin then hit on 16 February. 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. Some residents of surrounding areas had to be evacuated and supplies had to be air dropped to isolated communities. An area of the Kimberley about the size of Victoria was isolated once the highway was cut. The floodwater also caused damage to around of the road between Broome and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

with another remaining underwater south of Broome near

Roebuck Plains Roebuck Plains Station is a pastoral lease that is located close to the township of Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is one of the closest pastoral leases to Broome. Roebuck Plains is also the name of a roadhouse on the ...

a week after the floods.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-2011 Queensland Floods 2010s floods in Oceania 2018 floods 2018 Broome flood Floods in Western Australia Broome, Western Australia 2018 disasters in Australia January 2018 events in Australia February 2018 events in Australia

See also

References