Tropical Cyclone Marcia packed powerful winds as it slammed into Australia’s eastern coast Friday morning.
The “small, compact and extremely dangerous” storm is battering Queensland with gusts up to 250 kph (155 mph) and maximum sustained winds of 205 kph (127 mph), CNN meteorologist Tom Sater said.
Before the storm made landfall around 8 a.m. Friday (5 p.m. ET Thursday), the state’s premier warned residents to take cover.
“Over the next few hours, many thousands of Queenslanders are about to go through a harrowing and terrifying experience,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters, according to CNN affiliate Seven Network.
Severe flooding is expected, forecasters said. The storm surge could be worse since the cyclone made landfall during high tide, Sater said.
Queensland’s Bureau of Meteorology warned that “very destructive winds” were on the way.
Seven News reporter Tom Hartley posted a video that showed winds whipping through palm trees as heavy rains pelted Rosslyn Bay.
Chris Campey, a video journalist for the CNN affiliate, described the ocean waves as “intimidating.”