Cyclone Marcia gathers strength rapidly on way to Queensland coast

Queenslanders are being warned to brace for wild and dangerous conditions brought on by a rapidly-intensifying cyclone Marcia.

The system, which is about 170 kilometres east-northeast of Mackay, is set to hit the Capricorn Coast as a category four storm.

The cyclone was reclassified from a category one to category three system within four hours by the Bureau of Meteorology on Thursday afternoon.

The bureau later predicted it would be upgraded again, bringing wind gusts of 260km/h at its core early Friday morning just before it makes landfall north of Yeppoon.

“At the moment it has been intensifying far more rapidly than a typical cyclone would,” BOM regional director Rob Webb said.

Marcia is moving at 26km/hr and is set to cross the coast somewhere between Mackay and Gladstone about 4am AEST on Friday.

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, held a meeting of the disaster management committee at the Emergency Operations Centre in Brisbane’s north on Thursday afternoon where she and several of her new ministers were briefed by emergency authorities.

“It is important all Queenslanders brace themselves for heavy rain,” she said.

“This is a serious event. It has changed drastically since this morning.”

The premier said the meeting’s key point stressed that the safety of Queenslanders was the priority.

“Queenslanders need to be prepared now,” she said.

“This is an important time now not to panic but to make sure you have your preparations in place.”

The bureau has been warning of dangerous surf, abnormally high tides and heavy rainfall from central Queensland to the south-east coast.

Webb warned that Marcia would take longer to die down once it crossed the coast, given its growing intensity.

“At this stage we think it will cap off at a category four but we need to keep monitoring the situation,” he said.

“It’s one of those times now, it’s time to stay indoors, don’t travel unless you have to travel.”

Category four cyclones can feature gale-force winds of up to 260km/h, cause significant roof and structural damage, overturn caravans and trailers, generate dangerous airborne debris and trigger widespread blackouts.

Palaszczuk said cyclone centres had been opened in Yeppoon, Proserpine and Mackay and people should be aware airports were likely to close.

She said parents would be advised of school closures early on Friday morning.

The bureau has begun to issue hourly updates on the cyclone and Palaszczuk said it was vital residents stayed close to a radio.

SEQ Water has advised that the Wappa Dam, just inland from the Sunshine Coast, is completely full, meaning forecasted rainfall will significantly swell the Maroochy river.