Hurricane Errol off the northern coast of Western Australia strengthened into a Category 4 storm overnight, the latest storm news on April 17 from 9News said.
Errol is about 500km northwest of Broome. The storm is moving south, but in the coming hours it is forecast to turn southeast and towards the west coast of Kimberley, Australian forecasters said.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned that if it moves faster than forecast, Typhoon Errol could bring strong gusts of up to 130km/h between Cockatoo Island and Beagle Bay by the end of April 18.
If the storm moves south slightly from current forecasts, strong winds could also extend south to Broome.
Hurricane forecaster Angus Hines said that Errol is expected to weaken rapidly on April 17, reducing its intensity to level 2 and continue to weaken over the weekend. However, residential areas in Australia will continue to see the impact of the storm until April 18.
"From April 17, Errol could move southeast toward the coast. Although the storm is forecast to weaken, it could bring impacts such as heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds to some areas in Kimberley and Eastern pilbara over the weekend," Hines warned.
The latest storm of this year's hurricane season in Australia is forecast to make landfall at the northern tip of the Dampier Peninsula on the morning of April 19 as a Category 1 storm, with the potential to cause gusts of up to 125 km/h.
According to the latest typhoon of abc.net.au, the forecast of Hurricane Helen Reid said, storm Errol will slow down in the coming days. "We also expected the storm to weaken in the coming days and last until the weekend. However, the wind and rain will increase, especially on April 18 and 19, in the area along the west coast of Kimberley," she said.
Australian weather experts have warned people to be cautious despite the weakening of the Errol system. "Even if the storm is no longer strong enough to be classified as a Category 1 storm, we still expect very strong winds," Reid noted.
Hurricane Errol formed earlier this week from Depression 29U as it moved through warm ocean waters off the coast of Western Australia.
Initially, Weatherzone forecaster Ben Domensino said that the latest storm of the 2025 hurricane season is likely to strengthen into a Category 3 tropical storm.
Errol is the eighth storm of the 2025 hurricane season in Australia, the highest number recorded in a single hurricane season in 19 years. Rising sea surface temperatures and other favorable weather conditions are contributing to increased storm activity in the area.
In early April, Typhoon Dianne moved across the Northern Territory of Australia and into the southwest and central Queensland, causing heavy rain. In March this year, Typhoon Alfred devastated the southeastern part of Australia and the northeastern part of New South Wales.
