Tropical Cyclone Narelle to make landfall in far north Qld on Friday as category four storm, bringing 200km/h winds

"Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category four storm, bringing destructive wind gusts in excess of 225km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category five storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 500km east of the small town of Coen."

"Narelle will be just the fourth category five cyclone to cross the Queensland coast in a half a century, Premier David Crisafulli said. Vulnerable residents have been evacuated, tourists have flown out on the last remaining flights and schools have been closed in the warning zone. More than 100 emergency services personnel have been sent north, with police going door-to-door to ensure locals are prepared."

"I know these communities are resilient and they've been here before and they know what wind and a lot of rain looks like. This is a serious system though, and I'm asking people to take it seriously. Because it is the kind of event that doesn't happen all that often. If a category five system crosses the Queensland coast, it will be just the fourth time that has happened in half a century."

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle rapidly intensified over 48 hours to category five status and was positioned approximately 500km east of Coen, a town with 330 residents. The cyclone is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a category four storm with destructive wind gusts exceeding 225km/h. Vulnerable residents have been evacuated, tourists have departed on final flights, and schools in the warning zone have closed. Over 100 emergency services personnel have been deployed north, with police conducting door-to-door checks. Supplies and emergency generators have been positioned as the region prepares for power loss. This represents only the fourth category five cyclone to cross Queensland's coast in 50 years.

Read at www.theguardian.com