Cyclone Upgraded to Category 4: ‘Too Late to Leave’

A damaging tropical cyclone has been upgraded to a category four storm as it approaches the coast, with those in its path bracing for wind gusts up to 230 km/h.

A sign for the Cyclone and Emergency Welfare Centre is seen in Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia on Oct. 20, 2022. AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

Tropical Cyclone Hayley has been upgraded to a category four system as residents in Australia’s far northwest prepare to ride out the storm as it approaches land.

The system is moving toward Western Australia’s northern Dampier Peninsula, with wind gusts up to 230 km/h.