Communities in parts of Western Australia's Kimberley region may be isolated for up to a week as ex-tropical cyclone Ellie continues to bring heavy rain and flooding.
People in Fitzroy Crossing and surrounding communities have been urged to relocate, with an evacuation centre established at the local recreation centre.
Major flooding is also expected to impact Willare, Noonkanbah, Mount Barnett and Christmas Creek on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Emergency WA said there was a possible threat to lives and homes due to rising rivers and streams with the water fast flowing and levels rising quickly.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the weather system is centred just north of Halls Creek and is expected to move slowly west over the next 24 to 36 hours and will be just east of Broome on Tuesday evening.
A vigorous monsoon flow wraps into the system which has dumped between 200mm and 500mm of rain since Saturday.
"Further widespread heavy falls are forecast for the next few days," the bureau said on Tuesday.
"River rises and areas of flooding are adversely affecting road conditions in the Fitzroy River catchment. Some roads may become impassable and some communities are now isolated."
BoM meteorologist Jessica Lingard said Ellie will remain an ex-tropical cyclone unless it goes off the coast of Broome, where it will regain more strength from the warm waters.
It is most likely that it stays on land but a few models have shown that it could go off the coast.
"We are expecting the system to be just west of Broome on Wednesday or Thursday, when it will take a u-turn and head back towards the south west and the South Australia/Northern Territory border," Ms Lingard said.
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Locations that have been hit with the heavy downpours included Dimond Gorge, on the Fitzroy River, where a massive 204 millimetres of rain was recorded between 9.30am and 3.30pm on January 1, adding to the 570.2mm that had already fallen.
Phillips Range, Siddins Creek and Old Mornington Homestead have also all recorded large amounts of rain, with daily totals around the 220mm mark.
All these catchments lead into the Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing, which has caused the river to flood close to the highest flood level on the gauge.
There have also been reports of dead cattle and wildlife floating down the Fitzroy River, due to the water rising so rapidly.
The river reached a record height of 13.957 metres in 2002, and is on track to break this record - with the flood level reaching the major flood level of 12.5m on Monday.
As a result of flooding, there has been a range of road closures in the area, including sections of the Gibb River Road, Great Northern Highway and local roads including Tanami Road and Duncan Road.
It is expected to take at least a week for the river level at Fitzroy River to come down to minor flood level at 9.5m, provided there is no further monsoon/low system developing in that region.
In contrast to the Kimberley, the Pilbara and lower parts of the state are experiencing a heatwave as a result of a trough developing on the west coast.
Top temperatures include Marble Bar at 42.8 degrees Celsius, Meekathara at 41.6 and Newman at 40.4.
High temperatures are expected for the rest of the week, until the trough moves inland and brings some much needed cool air.
Over the past week, there have also been strong wind gusts across the Kimberley region, with the highest wind gusts recorded at Troughton Island Airport at 104 kilometres an hour and Mungalalu-Truscott Airport at 83km/hr.
The system formed in the Timor Sea and strengthened into a tropical cyclone late on Thursday, December 22.
It crossed the coast at 9.30pm near Cape Scott in the Northern Territory, south of the Daly River mouth.
It then moved inland through the Northern Territory, before making a turn back into the Kimberley where it has been since Thursday, December 29.
- with Australian Associated Press
