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Townsville motorbike club holding cyclone party as Debbie moves towards coast

Toby Crockford

 North Queensland is bracing for Cyclone Debbie, expected to develop on Saturday and intensify into a Category 4 before making its way west towards the coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology released its updated forecast early on Saturday, predicting the cyclone would develop into a Category 4 before it made landfall on Tuesday morning, bringing wind gusts of between 225km and 279km per hour.

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Cyclone could be severe

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a cyclone to form and hit the Queensland coast between Cairns and Townsville as early as Sunday.

The bureau has issued a cyclone watch zone for residents living along the 1000km stretch of coast between Cape Tribulation and St Lawrence. It includes the Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Whitsunday Islands regions.

A flood watch is also in place for coastal areas between Cooktown and Mackay.

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Meanwhile a Townsville motorbike club has planned a cyclone party over the weekend bringing travellers to a caravan park, as Debbie slowly approaches.

Victoria Stokes from BIG4 Walkabout Palms caravan park in Townsville said staff were keeping all guests informed of the latest weather updates.

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They were also telling guests to tie their caravans down and if they wanted to leave, they had to do so by Sunday.

However, having endured cyclone Yasi in 2011, staff and permanent residents had a good idea what to expect and how to prepare.

A motorbike club at nearby Murray Sporting Complex were planning a cyclone party over the weekend, which had seen nine guests arrive at Ms Stokes' park especially for the event.

But Ms Stokes said she was telling her guests "don't risk it for a biscuit", warning them not to get caught in the cyclone due to the party.

Weatherzone: Queensland radar

Earlier

Tropical cyclone Debbie continued to creep towards the north Queensland coast and was expected to intensify much quicker than originally thought.

Cardwell and Townsville were shown to be directly in the cyclone's path earlier on Friday. However, by the evening the system had shifted south, meaning areas between Bowen and Townsville were in the firing line.

By Friday evening, the system was estimated to be 650 kilometres east of Cairns, moving southeasterly about 13 kilometres per hour.

It was expected to develop into a tropical cyclone on Saturday and move west-southwesterly towards the north Queensland coast.

The cyclone was expected to continue to intensify as it approached the coast over the weekend and early next week.

The warning area shifted to stretch from Cape Tribulation to St Lawrence, with locals urged to be alert for the severe weather making landfall from any time between Sunday and early Tuesday.

However, Bureau of Meteorology Queensland regional director Bruce Gunn stressed there was always uncertainty around predicting cyclones and urged residents to monitor the BoM site closely.

"The intensity of the cyclone will hinge on how much time the system spends over the water," Mr Gunn said.

"If the cyclone speeds up, it is likely remain at the lower end of the spectrum, but if it crosses on Monday or Tuesday there is the potential for it to intensify to severe tropical cyclone strength, category 3 or higher."

SES director Steve Hallam said emergency services were undertaking "a large amount of preparation" in northern Queensland, with crews checking plans, equipment and making sure everything was ready to go.

The Queensland Fire Service sent reinforcements to the area, including swift water and urban rescue teams, damage assessment teams as well as additional SES crews.

Mr Hallam encouraged local residents to check their emergency plans, ensure their emergency kit was ready and fully stocked with food, water, clothing, medications, important documents, valuables as well as a battery-powered radio and torch.

He also said to refill gas supplies, ensure yards were clear, check any loose branches and secure loose items such as trampolines and outdoor settings.

"The more people can do now to be prepared, the less impact the weather event will have on them," Mr Hallam said.

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- with AAP