Queenslanders are being warned to prepare for a potential category four tropical cyclone expected to make landfall near Townsville anytime between Sunday night and Tuesday morning.
Emergency services say Cyclone Debbie could bring damaging winds of up to 200km/h, and cause structural damage, flooding, power outages, destroy caravans and rip boats from their moorings.
Meteorologists have been monitoring a low pressure system in the Coral Sea in recent days, which developed into a category one cyclone on Saturday morning.
The system was about 680km east of Cairns, and 620km east-north-east of Townsville at 4am.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the cyclone’s centre is expected to cross the coast somewhere along a 37-kilometre stretch between Bowen and Cardwell, probably on Monday night.
See latest tropical #Cyclone Forecast Track Map & Advice; system now expected to reach category 4 strength https://t.co/YTkwbdYNGp pic.twitter.com/LqL4ijWj1R
— BOM Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 24, 2017
Populated island communities – including the Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island and Palm Island – could also be in danger.
Forecasters believe the cyclone will intensify to a category four.
The slower the cyclone moves over the warm waters of the Coral Sea, the more severe it will become.
The bureau’s Queensland regional director, Bruce Gunn, said he could not rule out the possibility of a category five cyclone, the most severe rating possible.
“Over the next few days, the conditions are ripe for that cyclone to intensify and develop further,” Gunn said.
“At the moment our timing is thinking that the crossing of the coast would be about Monday night or into Tuesday. But it’s still a very uncertain situation,” he said.
“If the cyclone was to speed up, it could [cause] impacts on the coast as early as Sunday night. Alternatively it could slow down, but the problem with that is that the longer time over the warmer waters of the Coral Sea could see it turn into a category five, I can’t rule that out.”
MEDIA RELEASE: #CoralSea Tropical #Cyclone likely to develop this weekend, read more: https://t.co/NnPllYOZN1 pic.twitter.com/myjaL7z5zY
— BOM Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 24, 2017
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, warned residents to begin preparing immediately.
Those living in remote areas were urged to move to safer locations. Residents were told to clear debris and gutters, and stock up on food and any medication that may be needed in the event of flooding.
“I understand that up north today the weather conditions are fine, everything is calm, and there are blue skies,” Palaszczuk said. “This is the time that you should now be preparing.”
Queensland’s disaster management committee met on Saturday morning and would meet again on Sunday, she said.
Extra emergency services had been placed on standby along the north Queensland coast.
Energy Queensland had 500 staff in the field, and activated 35 mobile operators and three mobile substations.
The Queensland Police Service deputy commissioner, Steve Gollschewski, said authorities were well prepared and had thoroughly planned for the cyclone.
Gollschewski said residents should be prepared for a weather event that lasted several days.
“Having the medications, the supplies, the food that they may need for a protracted event,” he said.
“This could go on for some days because we’re not just talking about a cyclone with wind; we’re also talking about potential flooding where there could be isolation and the like.”
