What we know so far:
- Whitsundays the first hit by the Category 4 storm, currently feeling its full force
- Cyclone Debbie expected to make landfall south of Bowen at about 1pm
- Around 30,000 people told to evacuate along Queensland's north coast
- At least one fatality already attributed to weather conditions
The destructive core of Cyclone Debbie has hit the Whitsunday Islands off the north Queensland coast, while the mainland towns of Proserpine and Airlie Beach are also taking a battering.
Debbie remains a category four - the worst cyclone to hit Queensland in six years - and is packing sustained winds near the centre of 175km/h, and gusts of up to 260km/h.
At 6am, the Bureau of Meteorology said the eye wall of the cyclone would across the Whitsunday Islands after 9am AEDT. One of the islands, Hamilton, has already recorded gusts of 190km/h.
Those taking shelter on the island say the wind is so strong brick buildings are vibrating, and the wind sounds like a series of fright trains charging through.
'Like a freight train'
"It's been a noisy night here in Airlie Beach, it's like having a freight train or a waterfall next to your window," described SBS Queensland correspondent Stefan Armbruster.
"The first trees in our street have fallen down and the cyclone hasn't even reached its intensity yet."
Debbie is now expected to make landfall on the mainland from midday on Tuesday, hours later than originally expected, but the storm's ferocity is already being felt, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart says.
Mr Stewart said the cyclone's very slow march towards the coast meant a very long and dangerous time ahead for people in and around the expected landfall site just to the south of the coastal town of Bowen.
"Overnight it almost stalled. It is sitting over the edge of the land now - the most destructive core area is right over the edge of the land at Proserpine and Airlie Beach, and of course Hamilton Island is well within that destructive zone," he told the Nine network on Tuesday morning.
"The outer rings - so, the 100 kilometre to 125 kilometre wind zone - is sitting squarely over places like Bowen and Mackay on the edges. But as the cyclone moves forward, we are going to see the full force of that cyclone on the very highly populated areas."
