It's the lazy cyclone that is travelling more slowly than the top speed of a waddling Emperor Penguin.
But experts say that slow speed that could make Cyclone Debbie one of the most destructive.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Tuesday said Cyclone Debbie was travelling towards the coast at just six kilometres per hour, meaning it is expected to make landfall at around 2pm (AEST) on Tuesday.
Professor John Ginger, who is the Research Director in the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University, said the sluggish advance means destructive winds of up to 260km/h would batter homes for a longer period.
"The longer the duration is the more stressed building systems become and the more potential for more damage than with a fast moving cyclone," Prof Ginger told AAP.
He said most buildings erected post-1985 were designed to withstand high winds as they adhered to standards introduced after Cyclone Tracy destroyed Darwin in 1974.
But Prof Ginger said the long-lasting winds in a slow-moving system put more stress on vulnerable flashings and fixtures like gutters and downpipes, which could easily be torn from buildings.
"The longer the cyclone persists, the more danger of windborne debris," he said.
Prof Ginger said one of the other biggest threats to homes and buildings was the storm surge, which is where the low-pressure system, wind rotation, and high tides combine to push the ocean level higher and into low-lying areas.
Bureau of Meteorology weather services manager Richard Wardle said the slow movement of the system would mean more rain and flooding as it crosses the coast.
"It's sitting there picking up moisture from the ocean, it's sitting out there blowing those onshore winds to the south and that's obviously going to potentially bring a lot more rainfall," he told AAP.
