Residents and travellers alike are being warned to prepare themselves for some seriously wild weather as a low pressure system bears down on the Queensland coast.
Tropical Cyclone Marcia is expected to strengthen and cross the Capricorn coast in the next 24 hours, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned. Early this morning (Thursday), Marcia recorded winds near the centre of 75 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 100 kilometres per hour.
“Tropical Cyclone Marcia is moving quickly through the Coral Sea towards the Queensland coast,” the bureau said. “Tropical Cyclone Marcia is expected to slowly intensify, with the possibility of reaching category 2 intensity by landfall.
It is expected to bring with it destructive winds, flooding and as much as two months’ rain in a day to the south-east.
Forecasters predict as much as 100mm of rain will fall in coastal areas from Gladstone to the New South Wales border today before the skies open up to dump 200-400mm tomorrow. Up to 500mm is possible in isolated areas.
Councils, emergency services and even the state government are calling on people to prepare for the worst.
“Make sure that you do have emergency plans in place, that you can sustain yourself and your family for a few days if you need to and heed that message about keeping out of flooded waters, particularly children playing in drains and cars crossing floodways,” she said.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has issued a storm alert for state forests in the south east, warning temporary closures were possible.
