North Queensland is on high alert as a cyclone brewing off the coast threatens to smash into communities near Townsville about 4am on Sunday.
In a warning issued on Saturday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the tropical low system had developed into a category-2 cyclone — given the name Koji — and was expected to make landfall early Sunday morning.
Tropical Cyclone Koji is currently located 275km north northeast of Townsville and moving south at 13km/h.
According to a forecast track map produced by BOM, the cyclone is expected to impact near Ayr about 4am on Sunday morning.
The cyclone is expected to bring destructive wind gusts of up to 130km/h from Saturday evening at coastal locations from south of Townsville to Proserpine.
Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is forecast to develop from Ingham to Proserpine overnight.
A severe weather warning has been issued for a larger area about the northeast and central Queensland coasts, with BOM expecting heavy to locally intense rainfall and damaging winds.
On Saturday evening Queensland Police Service issued a series of emergency alerts for the Townsville, Burdekin and Whitsunday regions, urging residents to prepare.
“Destructive winds are expected to strengthen overnight. TAKE SHELTER NOW,” the alert reads.