Tropical Cyclone Kelvin Crosses Australia's Kimberley Coast

(Bloomberg) -- Tropical Cyclone Kelvin is crossing the Kimberley coast in Australia’s northwest with destructive winds likely near the center over the next few hours as the storm moves inland, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Kelvin, a Category 2 system on a scale of one to five, is moving east at 9 kilometers (5 miles) per hour with sustained winds near the center of 100 kilometers per hour and wind gusts to 150 kilometers per hour, the bureau said on its website. Kelvin is expected to weaken later Sunday as it moves inland.

The storm was 165 kilometers south southwest of Broome and 70 kilometers southwest of Bidyadanga as of 6:30 a.m. local time.

“Very heavy” rainfall is likely to continue over the west Kimberley and far east Pilbara regions on Sunday, the bureau said. BHP Billiton Ltd., Rio Tinto Plc and other mining companies operate in the iron-ore rich Pilbara region.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jackie Edwards in Sydney at jedwards160@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net, John McCluskey

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