The tropical low that was sitting off the coast of Queensland intensified early Thursday morning into what has been named Tropical Cyclone Dylan. It was initially registered as a Category 1 cyclone, but it was upgraded to Category 2 shortly after.
The Bureau of Meteorology is now warning of destructive gusts up to 150km/h near the centre of the storm as well as heavy rain and storm tides. Dylan is currently barrelling its way towards land and is predicted to cross the coast in the coming hours somewhere between the towns of Ayr and Bowen, about 120km south east of Townsville.
Strong winds and waves have been battering locations along the Central Queensland coast since earlier today. The weather station on Hamilton Island in The Whitsundays recorded a wind gust of 130km/h at 6:23pm, while further south in Mackay there was a gust of 98km/h recorded just before 7pm.
Heavy rain has also been affecting various locations. In addition to strong winds, Mackay has received over 90mm of rain. Townsville has so far received around 38mm since midday today. The worst of the storm should be over by midday tomorrow as it weakens while heading further inland.
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