Powerful wind gusts with speeds of up to 178 kilometres per hour have already battered Hamilton Island as tropical Cyclone Debbie gathered intensity and hurtled toward's Queensland's northern coast.
In a statement issued at 3am, the Bureau of Meteorology said the "very destructive core" of the powerful storm is now starting to impact the Whitsunday Islands.
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Streets have emptied in the low-lying town of Ayr, 100km north of Bowen, as anxious residents prepare for the worst and emergency services begin to bunker down, with people warned if they aren't ready by now, it's "too late... no one will be coming to help". Courtesy ABC News 24.
Cyclone Debbie update: 'we're in for a long haul'
With the tropical cyclone estimated to make landfall by midday, buildings in the Whitsundays have already reported wind damage, as authorities warn the battering of flash floods, storm surges and gusts up to 250 km/h could go on all day. Courtesy ABC News 24.
The centre of the system is forecast to cross the coast between Ayr and Midge Point later this morning with wind gusts potentially to 260 km/h.
The Bureau also warned of possible large waves along the sea front and forecast the sea would rise "to a level well above the normal tide, with damaging waves and flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline," in an update issued at 2am, and said heavy rain could lead to flash-flooding around the Central Coast and Whitsundays.
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The powerful tempest, which was upgraded to a category 4 storm on Monday evening, has prompted calls for tens of thousands of Queenslanders to evacuate.
Ayr, Bowen, Airlie Beach and Townsville were likely to be in the firing line with Debbie already approaching the Whitsundays.
#CycloneDebbie #satellite loop coinciding with wind visualisation from https://t.co/nR8nKDmOxE. Satellite images: https://t.co/l3kCoJ1bPD pic.twitter.com/6UF4G5Ngxo
— BOM Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 27, 2017
Queensland's ambulance service urged residents to seek shelter in the centre of their homes, the "strongest part of the building," and disconnect their electrical appliances.
"If the building starts to break up, protect yourself with mattresses, rugs etc under strong table or hold onto a solid fixture," Queensland Ambulance said on Twitter.
One resident, 17-year old Courtney Thoroughgood, said fierce winds and heavy rain was battering her home in Bowen and it was the "most terrifying" experience of her life.
She said she wished she had evacuated, with the worst yet to come.
"On Sunday we had the police advise us to evacuate but we have pets and had no where to go," she told Fairfax Media by phone at around 2.30am, local time.
"What I'm experiencing now is completely terrifying. It is absolutely the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced and the worst has yet to come unfortunately."
"Every minute you can hear the wind intensify. It just rumbles through the house.
"You can try to imagine what it would be like, but it is unimaginable. You would never truly understand the power and sheer terror until unfortunately you are stuck in the middle of it."
People living in low-lying areas in Mackay were urged to evacuate on Monday afternoon due to a predicted storm surge of up to 2.5 metres, with up to 25,000 people affected and residents told to prepare for flooding.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart urged people to drive to the conditions while getting out of the Mackay area, and also take care of their neighbours.
"That's the Queensland, the Australian way," he said.
A 31-year-old woman died in a car crash at Cannon Valley, near Proserpine, about 8am on Monday, with the incident linked to weather.
Residents in the Midge Point, Whitsunday, Burdekin, Cungulla and Cleveland Palms areas have also been told to evacuate.
People living on Palm Island were advised to stay inside their homes from sunset until emergency services advised the weather was clear.
Widespread daily rainfall totals of 150-250mm, with isolated falls of 500mm, were expected to lead to major river flooding over a broad area next week.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk informed the public during an 8pm update the Bureau of Meteorology had categorised the cyclone a category 4 in intensity.
"The residents of Bowen at this stage would feel a big impact from this cyclone," she said earlier in the day.
"I would rather take these precautionary measures now than have people's lives put at risk."
Steve Siltanen, who lived through Cyclone Larry in Innisfail, was bunkered down in the Ayr Cyclone Shelter, dreading what would become of his low-set, old, beachside home.
During Larry's ferocious power, a tree blew through his window, and a gas bottle into his hallway even though neither he nor his neighbours had gas.
"It was scary. The noise, just like jet engines," he said.
"... the power of the wind was so bad, once the roof come off, everything was flying past."
The 52-year-old Alva Beach resident, his partner and child, were praying they would avoid a repeat, as the cyclone turned further south, away from Ayr.
Danella Noah was almost as concerned about the old house in the Rita Island evacuation zone where her grandmother had lived since she was a teenager.
"I'm pretty scared," she said.
"I don't know what will happen and what will Ayr look like after it."
Australian Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin said Defence was well-positioned to provide immediate assistance to communities within the storm zone, in co-ordination with state and local disaster management authorities, if requested.
As a precaution, HMAS Choules left Sydney on Monday for Queensland, with two Navy MRH90 helicopters deployed to Oakey.
Air Force aircraft in Townsville, Amberley and Darwin were also on standby to deliver essential supplies and equipment.
More than 800 energy workers were on standby to help restore power when flood waters receded and the debris was cleared, with crews deployed from the Ipswich area on Monday.
Experts said the biggest threat from cyclones, such as Debbie, was typically huge storm surges that could inundate low-lying coastal regions, rather than the winds.
"More people have historically died from storm surges than the wind damage," Jonathan Nott, a specialist in extreme weather at James Cook University.
"[Yasi] literally swept houses ... off their foundations and they were totally gone," Professor Nott said. "Others were destroyed."
The cyclone was expected to make landfall several hours after the 9.45am high tide timing at Bowen, according to the weather bureau, which could intensify the storm's impact.
Taxi drivers in Townsville, Mackay, the Whitsundays, Burdekin and Ayr offered to evacuate residents for free.
Police door-knocking Cungulla and Cape Cleveland, about 40 minutes south of Townsville, were telling residents to leave but not forcing them out.
They suggested fewer than one in five residents had elected to stay.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said authorities could not force people to leave.
"If people choose to remain in harm's way and something happens, don't expect us to come and get you," she said.
Bowen residents were bracing themselves for what they said would be the worst cyclone to hit the town since the 1950s, with thousands of people told to evacuate.
Bowen has a population of about 10,000 but space for only 800 in its cyclone shelter, prompting a warning for residents in flood-prone areas to leave the region before Cyclone Debbie crossed the coast.
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox said people who could not leave should stay with friends or family in "high, dry places".
More than 100 schools were closed along the coast and shopfronts were being boarded up and filled with sandbags.
Mackay and Townsville airports have been closed.
In Bowen, Graham Wilson spray painted his white picket fence with a message for Cyclone Debbie: "Cyclone Debbie bring it on Bowen is not a pussy town do your best you got".
Mr Wilson said he painted the sign to lift people's spirits.
"It's basically to put a smile on people's faces. Bowen's a lot bigger than Cyclone Debbie, so give us what you've got," he said.
But Mr Wilson, who has lived in Bowen for 40 years, said he did not want to sound unconcerned as the town would likely sustain serious damage.
"We have not had a cyclone like this since '58," he said.
Stefan Seyffer and Vincent White helped other residents fill sandbags and said many people living in evacuation zones were choosing to stay because of their pets.
"We've got an elderly lady living next door so we'll stay to help," Mr Seyffer said.
YouTube user Aussie Mechand Tech Junkies has been livestreaming Debbie from his Midge Point residence.
He began streaming at 4pm and will continue until the storm is over or the power cuts out.
Currently, his live video shows torrential rain hitting Midge Point, north of Mackay.
- Rachel Clun, Latika Bourke, Toby Crockford, Jorge Branco, Peter Hannam, Felicity Caldwell,
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