Cyclone Debbie away from making landfall in north Queensland

Cyclone Debbie away from making landfall in north Queensland







Cyclone Debbie is just hours away from making landfall in north Queensland, possibly as a category five system, where winds are already hitting buildings "like a freight train



About 25,000 people in low-lying areas have been urged to reach higher ground.



Winds of up to 190 kilometres per hour are already battering the Whitsunday Islands and the wind is roaring at Airlie Beach, where power has been cut to thousands of homes.



The latest tropical cyclone advice has Debbie located 105 kilometres east north-east of Bowen and 75km north-east of Hamilton Island.



Slow-moving cyclone could take hours to pass



The cyclone could take up to 18 hours to pass.



The BOM warned that between 150mm to 500mm of rain could fall today and a tidal surge of between half a metre to 1.7 metres was forecast.



The later-than-expected crossing time has helped in terms of tide swells, as high tide is about 9:00am.