Cyclone Damien approaches Western Australia

Australia continues to be impacted by severe weather, with tropical cyclone Damien pounding burned-out landscapes with gale-force winds and heavy rainfall as it heads towards Western Australia's Pilbara coast.The category three system is expected to cross the coast on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, on the east coast, Australia's weather bureau said the amount of rain expected across Sydney and it surrounds will further intensify over the next 24 hours. Close to 200 millimetres (around 8 inches) is expected to fall across Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and the Illawarra on Saturday with similar falls likely on Sunday. Some regions are already experiencing flash flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall, with abnormally high tides also forecast.