Evacuations have been ordered and some flights have been grounded in north-east Queensland, as Tropical Cyclone Debbie continues to bear down on the coastline.
Debbie will be the state's first tropical cyclone in two years and is expected to be the "most significant cyclone since Yasi", likely making landfall early Tuesday as a Category 4.
Currently a Category 2 storm, Debbie is expected to become a Category 3 overnight and a Category 4 sometimes before it makes landfall.
The cyclone is sitting north-east of Townsville in the Coral Sea and is expected to track west-south west and cross the coast somewhere between Townsville and Proserpine.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) this afternoon issued a storm tide watch and act alert for Dingo Beach, Conway Beach, Cape Upstart, Bowen, Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.
The Whitsundays Regional Council has issued evacuation maps and advised residents living in red zones to leave now.
A directed evacuation for residents in the Shire of Burdekin, including Alva Beach, Groper Creek, Jerona, Wunjunga and some areas of Rita Island, was issued by Queensland Police Service (QPS) at 8.35pm AEDT.
Jetstar, Virgin and Qantas have cancelled flights to and from Townsville airport for tomorrow and Tuesday, as well as some Mackay airport flights.
All flights to Hamilton Island have been cancelled for tomorrow.
"Jetstar will be contacting all passengers on cancelled flights to provide options, including moving to flights on other days or a voucher credit," the airline said in an alert on its website.
More than 1000 emergency services staff and yet more Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed to the affected region.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) deputy regional director Bruce Gunn said the storm is potentially far more dangerous than the last cyclones to reach land in Queensland.
"Queensland hasn't seen a coastal crossing for a couple of years now since Marcia or Nathan in 2015 but I think you could probably say that Debbie's the most significant tropical cyclone since Yasi," he said.
"Not so much because of its intensity ... mostly because of its size and extent. It's quite a sizable system."
Yasi, a Category 5 cyclone, caused $800 million in property damage when it tore across north Queensland in February 2011, with structures in Townsville, Innisfail, Tully, Cardwell and the Dunk Island resort affected.
One man died after he asphyxiated from carbon monoxide issuing from a faulty generator at a house in Ingham.
Debbie is expected to bring winds of up to 260km/h, along with a potential storm surge that could flood areas across the affected region.
The storm surge threat caused the Whitsunday Regional Council to order several low-lying areas along the coastline be evacuated, with a significant storm tide forecast.
Whitsunday mayor Andrew Willcox urged residents to move to higher ground.
"If you are unable to evacuate, the cyclone shelters in Bowen and Proserpine will be opened on Monday as a last resort," Mr Willcox said.
"The cyclone shelters have capacity for 800 people each and are only available to those people at highest risk from cyclone effects that have no other option."
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Even those well away from the centre of the cyclone have been urged to make preparations, with Category 3 winds in excess of 100km/h and flooding expected throughout the affected area.
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"Tomorrow will be too late," State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschewski said.
Twenty-five schools between Ayr and Prosperpine will be closed tomororow and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there may be further closures as the storm nears the coast.
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In the Whitsundays town of Airlie Beach, several holiday-makers have prepared to ride out the storm or even continue their travels across the region.
A local tour operator, who did not wish to be named, said a handful of backpackers were still preparing to head north to Townsville and Cairns and did not appreciate the risk posed by Debbie.
Townsville-based BP petrol station worker Stacey Trainer said people had been "going crazy" filling jerry cans with fuel.
Memories of the destructive Yasi put people on notice, Ms Trainer said.
"That's why we're watching it quite closely at the moment," she said.
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Coordination centres in Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville and Mackay have also been activated.