Alert – Cyclone Jasper live updates as red zones are revealed and what time it will hit Queensland – News Alerts

Here, follow Daily Mail ‘s liveblog for all the updates on the Tropical Cyclone Jasper today.

19:43

Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to cross the Queensland coast within hours

Residents in Far North Queensland are preparing to batten down the hatches as Tropical Cyclone Jasper bears down on the coast.

The category two storm is expected to make landfall by lunchtime on Wednesday bringing ‘life-threatening’ flash flooding and winds of 140km/hour.

Locals have been preparing for the slow-moving system for days by clearing away debris, filling up sandbags and stocking up on essentials.

Jasper is forecast to cross the coast somewhere between Port Douglas and Cape Flattery, about 440km north from Cairns, at 1pm on Wednesday.

Locals have been told to prepare for flash-flooding and potentially days without power, with evacuation centres set-up in Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown.

Cairns’ Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) urged residents in the city’s red zone – the areas at the highest risk of flooding – to evacuate immediately due to the risk of a large storm surge when Jasper crosses the coast.

Properties in Cairns North, Cairns City, Portsmith and Parramatta Park are expected to be the worst impacted as the storm approaches.

19:57

What you can expect in a category two cyclone?

Severe Wind Speeds: Average wind speeds ranging from 89 to 117 km/h, accompanied by gusts reaching 125–164 km/h.

Damage Potential: Minor damage to houses and significant damage to signs, trees, caravans, and certain crops.

Power Outage Risk: There is a risk of power failures due to the impact of the cyclone.

19:54

Fears crocodiles could wash up on the streets of Queensland tourist towns

There are fears crocodiles could wash up on the streets of Queensland tourist towns as Cyclone Jasper bears down on the coast.

In the aftermath of high tides and heavy rains, crocodiles can move further upstream into new areas.

The phenomenon occurred during recent floods in Queensland and was also seen when Cyclone Owen struck in 2018.

Crocodiles were flushed out of the surrounding creek and onto the streets in Far North Queensland, with authorities forced to issue animal hazard warnings in the midst of the disaster.

‘There are a lot of crocodiles that are being sighted at the moment so be careful on the roads and please don’t go near the crocodiles,’ Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at the time.