Australia braces for category five cyclone

Authorities have warned people in the country's third-most populous state, Queensland, that Tropical Cyclone Marcia will likely bring torrential rain and flooding, destructive winds and ocean swells.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said there was a likelihood of "significant damage to roofs, buildings, debris flying through the air, widespread power failures" and general destruction.

Almost 1,000 homes in the path of the storm have been evacuated. Other residents have been told it's too late to leave their homes, with emergency services advising them to bunker down in the safest part of their houses.

More than 60 schools have also been closed, hospitals have activated emergency plans and ambulance services boosted.

Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters the most important thing was people were safe.

"Over the next 24 hours, Queenslanders are about to go through a harrowing and terrifying experience and I want those people to know that we are with you every step of the way," she said.

Her words were echoed by the state's Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, who called it a "desperate situation."

Overnight Cyclone Marcia was upgraded to a category five storm, the most severe rating. It was set to cross the coast Friday morning, with winds of up to 285 kilometers per hour predicted.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall near the town of Yeppoon, around 670 kilometers north of Brisbane.

It will then weaken as it moves south before hitting Rockhampton, home to around 75,000 people.

Just hours earlier the state had another near miss, with Tropical Cyclone Lam crossing the coast at a sparsely-populated area further north.

Locals had dubbed the rare twin storms a "cyclone sandwich".

Police said due to the remoteness of the area they had not yet been able to assess any damage the category 4 system may have caused.

an/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)