Severe tropical cyclone Marcia hits Queensland coast uprooting trees and tearing down powerlines around Yepoon and Rockhampton, as Lam moves into NTTimes shown on posts are AEDT: subtract one hour for Queensland, 90 minutes for NT 3.53pm AEST Volunteers have been busy relocating loggerhead turtle eggs in Marcia’s path on Mon Repos beach, near Bundaberg, the ABC reports. The turtles are endangered, with successful hatching and nesting at Mon Repos crucial to their survival. 3.51pm AEST A measure of how seriously Brisbane residents take the prospect of flooding by prolonged rainfall: journalist Debra Bela snapped this pic of cars queueing to get sandbags in Newmarket in the city’s inner north.The queue for sandbags at Newmarket SES this afternoon @612brisbane #bigwet #TCMarcia pic.twitter.com/xyclSXSEOD 3.25pm AEST With reports of widespread damage wrought by Marcia on the Capricorn coast around Yeppoon and Rockhampton - roofs uplifted, powerlines and trees blown down - farmers are concerned the cyclone is tracking inland towards cropping country.#Marcia path now appears headed toward Dawson/Callide, North Burnett. Cotton, citrus, dairy, grazing, grain and other crops in these regions 3.22pm AEST The weather bureau in its latest update has Marcia still at a category three with sustained winds of 150km hr and gusts of up to 205 km/hr.It is “slowly weakening” while moving south at 19 km / hr. 3.09pm AEST 3.07pm AEST One Rockhampton resident puts his rod to good use on Wackford St, a few blocks from the Fitzroy River.Fishing in wackford street? #TCMarcia #Rockhampton pic.twitter.com/FPbuJVqW2w 2.45pm AEST Wags interstate have cottoned on to Nine News Brisbane reporter Joel Dry’s delightfully incongruous monikerIt's taken @9NewsAUS a while, but they've finally challenged 'Amy Parks at AAMI Park' with this one. #TCMarcia pic.twitter.com/AQykvaoIUb 2.41pm AEST 2.27pm AEST Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has reminded holidaymakers that all the Glitter Strip’s beautiful beaches are closed. “All those people who want to celebrate great surf, stay away. Don’t swim in the water for next day.” The peak of the storm for Gold Coasters will be late tonight, Tate said. 2.21pm AEST Some video from ABC on that Yeppoon lift rescue.Two women have been freed from an elevator in #Yeppoon during #TCMarcia. https://t.co/LTGAXn7rJA http://t.co/IcWTgfr6Nh 2.16pm AEST 2.09pm AEST 1.47pm AEST Here's #TCMarcia and #TCLam crossing the coast, as captured by JMA satellites pic.twitter.com/oRsVDxdMSCState Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner, Peter Jeffrey, told the ABC that although Marcia was now downgraded to a category 4, this did not represent a significant reduction in the risk to people. 1.20pm AEST If you’re in Rockhampton, cancel that afternoon stroll/trip to the shops. If you’re a Brisbane Roar fan, maybe put the scarf and shirt away.DC Gollschewski says Rockhampton residents need to be inside. It's not over yet. Emergency services in lockdown.BREAKING | Tonight's @ALeague match v @gomvfc at @suncorpstadium has been postponed: http://t.co/01aPwzpjMA #GoRoar pic.twitter.com/HnXorb4tVS 1.13pm AEST People need to batten down any loose items they may have in their properties. If we do get those 90kmph winds the last thing we want to see is projectiles. Loose items from around the yard can become life threatening once airborne. 1.12pm AEST Drama within a drama. AAP’s Nathan Paull observed this effort to free people inside an elevator after the power dropped out in Yeppoon.Effort to free 2 ppl from lift in #yeppoon during #TCMarcia. One free, one to go. pic.twitter.com/Dc9sIioVU7 12.45pm AEST Looks like a Leopard tree down in Yeppoon. Hopefully that house roof is OK. At least it didn’t get the neighbours’ cars.#yeppoon #tcmarcia pic.twitter.com/LLFeR9jnNO 12.37pm AEST Visual proof of what Stefan Armbruster from SBS was just telling us about wind forcing water through his closed glass doors in Yeppoon:Wind forcing water through glass doors. It's gonna get messy in Yeppoon. #TCMarcia #CycloneMarcia @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/580JfVb5XC 12.31pm AEST Take a step back and consider Marcia and Lam from this visually stimulating, planetary perspective. 12.30pm AEST Like the pic caption says, just a bit of flooding. Crosby Hill Road in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. 12.28pm AEST Overflowing dams bring back traumatic memories for us south-east Queenslanders after 2011.Now this off the wire: 12.22pm AEST I’ve just spoken to SBS’s Stefan Armbruster, who is in Yeppoon where Marcia is “blasting through”.“There are houses gone, down on the foreshore ... the power’s now out completely,” Armbruster says. 12.11pm AEST Natural disasters have given Queensland politicians key platforms to display their leadership qualities in recent years. Both Anna Bligh and her successor as state premier, Campbell Newman – then as Brisbane Lord Mayor – both attracted widespread praise for their public performances during the disastrous 2011 south-east Queensland floods. 12.03pm AEST Marcia has just been downgraded to a category four cyclone but the weather bureau still warns of “very destructive winds still expected near the centre”. 11.57am AEST More from Jenna Hudson and those residents of Great Keppel Island, where the tourist slogan in a sad irony, famously once went: “Get Wrecked”More photos from Great Keppel island residents as #TCMarcia rolls in. Stay safe! @ACurrentAffair9 @9NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/O5bM9husu6 11.56am AEST Channel Nine’s Jenna Hudson has a resident’s picture of beachfront homes crumbling into the sea as the tide washes banks away.Residents pic: Part of a home has broken off into ocean at Great Keppel @ACurrentAffair9 @9NewsBrisbane #TCMarcia pic.twitter.com/jVkW460k01 11.54am AEST In a move likely to outrage Lord Monckton, Guardian Australia’s esteemed journalist specialising in environmental matters, Oliver Milman, has pointed out that those conspiratorial types at CSIRO and the weather bureau cite a climate change aspect to latter day cyclones …Worth bearing in mind that CSIRO and BoM say cyclones may be stronger/move further south due to climate change http://t.co/Vw5gtplpFo 11.50am AEST ABC radio reports that Royal Caribbean, the cruise ship owner, has said the ship is on course to arrive in Cairns on Sunday just a few hours late. 11.49am AEST A cruise ship, the Rhapsody of the Seas, is currently navigating the waters off the central Queensland coast right under cyclone Marcia.@RoyalCaribbean my sister and family are on Rhapsody Of The Seas please can you let us know an update we are really worried. 11.44am AEST And here’s the latest warning from the NT weather bureau:Severe Weather Warning issued for the Daly, Tiwi, Arnhem and Carpentaria forecast districts. http://t.co/vWcJg36lwi pic.twitter.com/2HEY4puCpw 11.42am AEST Good news from the Northern Territory, where police and emergency services have issued a release saying they were aware of no deaths (human) or major injuries as a result of cyclone Lam to date.“Overnight, communities at Elcho Island, Milingimbi, Galiwinku, Maningrida and Ramingining were in the storm’s direct path. 11.31am AEST A more serious blow for sports fans than the prospect that the Aussie cricket team has to train indoor today - the A-League game tonight between Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory has been postponed due to safety concerns.Football Federation Australia took advice from the state government and police and emergency authorities. 11.24am AEST The “very destructive” core of cyclone Marcia is moving south at 21 km/hr, says the weather bureau in its last update. 11.21am AEST Palaszczuk is back on ABC saying Yeppoon and surrounds is her current sole focus of concern. The coastal town is in lockdown and the core of Marcia is about to pass through within the hour.Palaszczuk says 600 people in Yeppoon’s cyclone shelter will sit it out. 11.18am AEST Meanwhile in the Northern Territory, folks are out and about already braving the tail end of cyclone Lam to check out the damage.The single reported death to date in the remote community of Ramingining is a dog, according to this report off the wire: 11.01am AEST Some have expressed alarm at the prospect of heavy rains at the Mt Morgan mine near Rockhampton - Australia’s largest abandoned mine - sending acidic water out into the Dee River and straight onto the Great Barrier Reef.With Unesco just months away from meeting to decide whether the reef is listed as “in danger”, a flooded Mt Morgan mine would be absolutely the last thing the new state government would want. 10.50am AEST Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said his “thoughts and prayers” are with the people of Rockhampton and Gladstone. 10.45am AEST Back to SBS’s Armbruster, cops on the Yeppoon beat have made their last crawl to order the “rubber neckers” away.Police patrolling Yeppoon foreshore telling last storm rubber necks to get inside #TCMarcia #CycloneMarcia @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/vyDXwQ7ZBy 10.44am AEST The Courier-Mail’s Greg Stolz says things are getting wild in Yeppoon.It's getting wild in Yeppoon now #TCMarcia pic.twitter.com/V6mbarA5Zu 10.40am AEST SBS’s Stefan Armbruster snapped this crazy brave would-be surfer dipping his toes at the beach at Yeppoon before the eye of Marcia was due to hit. Swell looks a little disappointing anyhow.Some like it rough ... Or maybe not. Surfing Yeppoon in #TCMarcia #CycloneMarcia @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/PwSQQrohQK 10.29am AEST Vivid weather bureau imagery of Cyclone Lam heading inland at the Top End.Latest RGB composite image of Category 3 #CycloneLam as it tracks inland. Thanks @NOAASatellites and JMA. pic.twitter.com/2be1Fr9TDN 10.17am AEST Repeated warnings that emergency services personnel will be off the road and unable to help anyone while the very destructive winds at Marcia’s core pass over the central Queensland coast near Yeppoon. 10.12am AEST ABC TV reporter Marlina Whop is keeping a respectful distance from the sea spray and looming storm surge whipped up by cyclone Marcia.Yeppoon #tcmarcia storm surge threat worsens pic.twitter.com/U8jFktyqUV 9.59am AEST Ok, a possible celebrity twist to Cyclone Marcia has been raised by News.com, which is reporting that fans of One Direction fear the boy band’s members Louis and Zayn might be caught holidaying on Hamilton Island.Fears One Direction have been caugh in #TCMarcia Cyclone http://t.co/U18MFHnePb pic.twitter.com/qJ9DFuBE13 9.44am AEST Palaszczuk says she has called prime minister Tony Abbott and is waiting for him to call back. “We will need federal assistance,” she says, referring to the expected destructive impact of winds of up to 285km/hr. 9.42am AEST ABC’s Steve Austin has told Palaszczuk he is “surprised by the strong language you and the police commissioner are using”. (Palaszczuk has predicted a “harrowing and terrifying” experience, while comissioner Ian Stewart has said Marcia will be “a calamity’.) Palaszczuk replied, “We are concerned”, saying the cyclone would hit populated areas and “families’ lives are at risk”. 9.39am AEST Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is telling ABC radio that the tidal surge around central Queensland coast will be 2.6m higher than usual because of Marcia. “We are talking a massive tidal surge in these areas”. But authorities will try to halt any movements from people in the area “in the next hour or so”. 9.37am AEST Channel 7’s Chris Campey is in Yeppoon, which is expected to feel the full brunt of Cyclone Marcia very shortly. He’s posted this videoLIVE through the morning, keeping you updated from #Yeppoon as squalls get stronger. #TCMarcia @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/MGoTPWYip4 9.19am AEST Authorities say it’s now too late for the 30,000 Queenslanders in the direct path of this category-five storm to evacuate, AAP reports.The core of the cyclone is now starting to affect parts of the central Queensland coast, with the town of Yeppoon to feel the full brunt of its winds and its destructive storm surge, which could destroy low-lying homes.Marcia is packing winds gusting to 285km/h, a force that’s expected to destroy older homes in the area that have not been built to modern cyclone standards. 9.01am AEST A startling image out of the Met Office: Cyclone Marcia making landfall.#CycloneMarcia has made landfall over Townshend Island, Queensland Australia. First visible image of the day. pic.twitter.com/2q7yhuBF7o 8.58am AEST Here’s good news: the two fishermen who went missing off Fraser Island have been found safe.Fishermen reported missing near Fraser Island have been found safe http://t.co/uWaaO0LyAsHervey Bay Water Police and the Coast Guard have located the two men reported missing in the waters of the Great Sandy Strait.The men, aged 38 and 39, one from Maryborough and one from Brisbane, were found safe and well in waters at the Northern End of Moonboom. 8.35am AEST 8.34am AEST A story on the wire about about how Marcia’s quick transformation took weather experts by surprise:“Cyclone Marcia’s rapid jump from a category one tiddler to a category five monster has surprised Bureau of Meteorology experts, a senior forecaster says. 8.32am AEST .@BOM_Qld has advised that #TCMarcia is 60km in width, travelling at 15 - 20km/h, with wind gusts of up to 245km/h in the eye of the cyclone 8.30am AEST Brian Cox, the director of Queensland’s disaster management authority, tells ABC that just as people in Yeppoon and Rockhampton are bracing for Marcia’s impact, residents of Brisbane should prepare for flash floods. Rainfall of up to 300mm in some places over the next 24 hours, lost of expected road closures. Alice St in the centre of Brisbane’s CBD is already partly flooded. 8.18am AEST Latest update from the weather bureau:“The VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE of severe tropical cyclone Marcia, with gusts to 285 km/h, is crossing the Capricorn coast near Shoalwater Bay.” 8.17am AEST In the Northern Territory, tropical cyclone Lam made landfall overnight.Here’s the latest on the situation from the agencies - as day approaches we are likely to get more information about the severity of the situation.At 5am (local time), the weather bureau’s latest update said Lam was moving inland, just south of Ramingining.The BoM estimated the cyclone to be 40km south of Milingimbi and 80km southwest of Galiwinku. 8.16am AEST On a less serious note, ABC reports that the Australian cricket team, in Brisbane for a match against Bangladesh scheduled tomorrow, may be forced to train indoors because of the rain. Looking outside the window, that seems a safe bet. 8.12am AEST An AAP report on those two missing men, the most serious incident to date:“A dramatic search is playing out for two fishermen missing off Fraser Island, in the cyclone warning area. 8.10am AEST Palaszczuk’s warning to residents in Yeppoon and Rockhampton who remain in their homes: “We want you to stay in your homes. Please do not leave your homes this morning. Do not go outside under any circumstances. Go to the strongest part of your house, which is usually the bathroom area. Make sure your children are with you and your children are safe. Take pillows, take mattresses. Your safety is now paramount. ” 8.01am AEST SEQ Water’s Mike Foster tells ABC radio that dams in southeast Queensland - which were a factor in the major floods in Brisbane and surrounds in 2011 - are currently well prepared to accommodate the heaviest rains even in “the worst case scenario”. 7.58am AEST BOM says biggest rainfalls overnight have been on the Sunshine Coast, where areas like the hinterland behind Caloundra saw 110mm. 7.56am AEST So the gravest warnings have been squarely aimed at people around Yeppoon on the central Queensland coast. NOAA satellites has tweeted this infrared imagery of Marcia as it approached the coast several hours ago.VIIRS infrared imagery from @NASANPP of Tropical Cyclone #Marcia as it approaches the eastern coast of Australia. pic.twitter.com/6CBhxzuntA 7.55am AEST 7.53am AEST Police commissioner Ian Stewart: “the key message is we have a small window of time to do our final checks.” Calls on people to comply with emergency directions to evacuate. Also to be mindful of the age of the houses or buildings they are in when considering their safety. 7.51am AEST Palaszczuk: two fishermen near Fraser island are missing, search underway 7.50am AEST Palaszczuk: All schools around Yeppoon closed but hospitals there and in Rockhampton remain open. 7.49am AEST 7.48am AEST Police commissioner Ian Stewart “This is going to be a calamity, there is absolutely no doubt about that.” 7.48am AEST Palaszczuk: Once it passes over Yeppoon, it is expected to reach Rockhampton as a category three storm 7.45am AEST Palaszczuk says people in that key coastal area around Yeppoon should stay inside, the bathroom being the safest place to shelter. 7.42am AEST Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is addressing the media: “We need everyone to be safe during this period of time … We are now very concerned with people’s safety, very concerned.”870 homes impacted in low lying areas. 170 people in evacuation shelter in Yeppoon, just south of the expected crossing point for Marcia. 7.34am AEST ABC radio is reporting that police and emergency services have been door knocking in central Queensland coastal areas and ordering people to evacuate.In the town of St Lawrence, residents who were bunkering down in the local bowls club were relocated, amid fears the club wasn’t as safe as hoped, to another shelter near Sarina. 7.34am AEST Good morning, this is Josh Robertson in Brisbane. I’ll be taking you through the blow by blow as tropical cyclone Marcia makes landfall in Queensland.As of less than half an hour ago, Marcia was described by the bureau of meteorology as a category five storm that was due to hit the coast between St Lawrence and Hervey Bay in the next few hours. Continue reading...