Tropical cyclone heads for coastal towns
TROPICAL Cyclone Debbie has intensified and looks set to cross the Queensland coast near Ayr tomorrow morning as a Category 4 system.
The weather bureau revealed yesterday that the system had intensified to a Category 2 and was hovering about 470km off the coast of Townsville.
The system is expected to intensify to a Category 4 before it hits the coast about 10am.
Wind gusts of up to 260kmh are expected.
Residents between Ayr and St Lawrence, including in Bowen, Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands, were warned yesterday to prepare for gale force winds within the next 24 hours.
Evacuations were ordered in coastal towns and communities of the Whitsundays council area as authorities warned of damaging tidal surges.
Up to 300,000 people from Townsville to the Whitsundays are in the line of the monster storm as it tracks towards the coast.
Late yesterday, the Bureau of Meteorology had not ruled out a category 5 cyclone.