Monster Cyclone Kirrily strikes: Tens of thousands with no power as cyclone hits major city

Former tropical cyclone Kirrili has left a trail of destruction in its wake as it moves inland and triggers new flash flood warnings across central and western Queensland.

The powerful cyclone has weakened to a tropical low as it crossed the coast northwest of Townsville, becoming one of the most powerful systems seen in the north.

Tens of thousands of homes were left without power on Friday morning and the Bureau of Meteorology said the system could still cause strong winds and heavy rain despite no longer being classified as a cyclone.

“It will carry a lot of this moisture with it, gradually moving it through central and then more western Queensland,” senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.

Kirrilee approached the coast on Thursday evening as a severe category three system with wind gusts of up to 170 km/h.

Tropical Cyclone Kirrili crosses the coast near Townsville. Image : Supplied/Specification

Staged Tropical Cyclone Kirrili is crossing the coast near Townsville as a Category 3 system.

It decreased to Category 2 intensity just before landfall around 10 p.m. and decreased to Category 1 intensity after moving inland with maximum gusts of 120 km/h around midnight.

“It felt more like wind than rain,” Ms Bradbury told ABC News on Friday morning.

“Total rainfall only reached 50-70mm, but there was a lot of damage caused by the wind: a lot of downed trees, debris on the roads and the like.”

Peak gusts of up to 140 km/h and sustained winds of more than 116 km/h have been recorded on offshore reefs. Closer to the coast, maximum wind gusts were 107 km/h at Alva Beach and 91 km/h in the Townsville area.

More than 40,000 homes were left without power as the cyclone approached, most of them in Townsville.

Some are expected to remain so, but energy supplier Ergon will only begin to properly assess the damage on Friday morning.

The map shows about 50 separate areas of Townsville without electricity, including much of the CBD.

The weather system moved inland on Friday morning (pictured), leaving a trail of destruction in its wake and prompting fresh warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology about dangerous flash floods.

Kirrilee was about 170km west-southwest of Townsville and 125km west-northwest of Charters Towers and was still moving southwest at 24km/h at about 4am on Friday.

Boats are reported to be breaking free from their moorings and becoming stuck on the Townsville waterfront.

Meteorologically, it is believed to be the strongest cyclone to hit north Queensland since Cyclone Althea devastated the region in 1971.

The rapidly changing system lingered in the Coral Sea for several days before the tropical low finally developed into Cyclone Kirrili on Wednesday. He was then upgraded to category two on Thursday morning, but only took five hours to reach category three status.

North Queensland was flooded by 2pm AEST on Thursday as winds picked up.

Townsville Airport and more than 120 schools were closed and hundreds of emergency services were on standby.

Many Australia Day ceremonies planned for Friday were canceled and Queensland rail services north of Rockhampton were suspended.

More than 30,000 homes were already without power late Thursday amid warnings that it could take days to restore power in some areas.

The system is forecast to weaken and reach a tropical low after crossing the coast on Friday.

A severe weather warning has been issued for communities along the system’s path, forecasting intense rainfall that could lead to “life-threatening” flash flooding in some areas.

The bureau said heavy rainfall, which could lead to flash flooding, was occurring in northern parts of the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, the Tropical North Coast and the Herbert and Lower Burdekin regions.

Intense rain is forecast to spread further inland towards Richmond on Friday and into northern parts of the West Central on Friday evening or early Saturday morning.

The likely six-hour rainfall totals range from 80 to 120 mm, with up to 180 mm in 24 hours, especially on the northern slope of the tropical low.

Locally intense flooding, which could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding, is also possible on the northern flank of the tropical low.