Cyclone Narelle makes landfall in Queensland as category four

Lockhart Mayor Wayne Butcher said residents were hunkering down to wait out tropical cyclone Narelle's fury.

"It is just howling here at the moment," Butcher said.

"The winds are coming from the west and it is gale force. The trees are whistling and swaying side to side. Everyone is in and locked down and now we just have to weather the storm.

"I think it's crossing the coast right now. It's closer to Coen, but things are really bad here."

Local resident Ben Chuckie uploaded a video showing conditions in Weipa this morning, 260km north of Coen where the cyclone had first made landfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed Tropical Cyclone Narelle touched down at 7am Queensland time on Friday while Lockhart River, Coen, and Port Stewart residents have been warned to take immediate shelter.

Wind speeds near the centre of the cyclone have hit 195km/h, with wind gusts reaching 270km/h.

Cyclone Narelle is now moving westward and is crossing the area between Lockhart River and Coen.

Senior meteorologist Sarah Scully warned the system would cause large airborne debris, major structural damage, and property destruction.

"Satellite data is indicating that there's widespread winds near the centre of the system, well in excess of 200 km/h," she said.

"Very destructive winds may start to be experienced within the next hour ahead of the coastal crossing. Winds of this strength have the potential to cause significant structural damage to buildings and property, such as significant loss of roofs."

Emergency alerts have been issued urging residents in the remote communities of Lockhart River, Coen, and Port Stewart to take immediate shelter.

"Take shelter now in the strongest part of the building you are in," the warning said.

Narelle was on course to be the first category five system to hit Cape York since Cyclone Mahina killed more than 300 people in March 1899. It was downgraded to category 4 on Friday morning.

— Wing Kuang, AAP

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has warned there will be flash flooding and potential long-term power outages, as the state's far north is set to experience the category-four Tropical Cyclone Narelle today.

"There's a lot of rain in the system. And as it moves, it will be hard and fast, and we are dealing with the area where there are already very saturated catchments," Crisafulli said.

"As a result, the prospect of flash flooding is real, and people in Far North Queensland understand where those high-risk areas are."

He said around 300 power outages have been recorded so far, with 73 of them in Coen, a remote town of around 320 people where Cyclone Narelle is heading towards.

David Crisafulli told Queenslanders "remain exactly where you are". Source: AAP / Jono Searle

Crisafulli said there may be long-term power outages due to the cyclone's intensity.

He added that health facilities have been adequately staffed, and 14 schools in the area have been closed. Police are making their final door-knocks in the area today to ensure residents are safe.

"My message to Queenslanders is this: we have prepared, you have prepared, the best place right now is that you remain exactly where you are," he said.

— Wing Kuang

The Bureau of Meteorology has provided a quick update on Tropical Cyclone Narelle as it crossed far north Queensland this morning.

— Bureau of Meteorology

Good morning and welcome to today's live blog covering Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which has made landfall in far north Queensland this morning.

Here's what you need to know so far.

- Residents are urged to take immediate shelter as Tropical Cyclone Narelle brings very destructive winds of more than 270km/h near its centre as it crosses Queensland's Cape York Peninsula on Friday morning.

- Emergency alerts have been issued urging residents in the remote communities of Lockhart River, Coen, and Port Stewart to take immediate shelter. "Take shelter now in the strongest part of the building you are in," the warning said.

- After intensifying in the Coral Sea to a peak category five system on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the system had been downgraded early Friday, but warned conditions remained very dangerous.

- Meteorologist Angus Hines said on Thursday afternoon that Narelle was an extremely powerful weather system. "They do not get more powerful than this." It's been described as one of the most powerful storms in living memory.

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'Do not get more powerful than this': Cyclone Narelle set to slam far north Queensland

— Australian Associated Press