Category 5 Ita bears down on North Queensland Coast

Despite initial forecasts predicting a peak intensity of Category 4, Tropical Cyclone Ita was upgraded by the Bureau of Meteorology to a Category 5 storm yesterday afternoon. This is the highest ranking on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.

Unfortunately for residents in Far North Queensland the track map for Ita has also been adjusted. The adjustment is shown below. This new track combined with the increase in intensity could be devastating for communities and towns in Ita's path. The storm will weaken as it moves inland but strong winds and heavy rain are very likely.

Tropical Cyclone Ita Forecast Track Map at 3:59pm AEST on April 11 2014
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (image unedited from original)

Residents in the region have been preparing for the storm for the last couple of days. They have also been advised to seek shelter this evening as the storm moves south along the coast. BoM has informed that Ita could produce winds up to 300km/h near its core, with gales up to 185km/h extending outwards from the centre.

Of the BoM weather stations in the region, Cape Flattery has recorded the strongest wind gust so far with 115km/h at 4:13pm. It is currently 4:40pm and Ita is inching its way closer to the coast. Due to the time of the storm hitting populated areas, it won't be until tomorrow before the extent of the damage is known. Let's hope everyone stays safe.