Cyclone Tiffany gains strength off Far North Queensland

Communities along Cape York Peninsula are bracing for Cyclone Tiffany, a category one system that is gaining strength off the Far North Queensland coast.

Around 4pm on Sunday AEST, Tiffany was around 235 kilometres north-west of Cooktown and was moving west towards the Cape.

Gales with gusts of up to 110kph were forecast Monday between Cape Tribulation and Coen, as the weather system approaches land.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the timing of Tiffany’s landfall will depend on whether the cyclone moves south or north of Cape Melville.

Destructive wind gusts of up to 130kph are possible near the system centre on Monday, as it heads towards the coast, the BOM said.

People between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown were being advised to secure boats and other property as Tiffany whips up large waves.

Gales may extend north to Cape Grenville, including the Lockhart River later on Monday, the BOM said.

Strong winds and rain are expected to hit western parts of the Cape on Tuesday, before the system moves into the Gulf of Carpentaria towards the Northern Territory coast.

Tiffany follows former Cyclone Seth, which caused flooding in south-east Queensland, requiring emergency airlifts as rivers burst their banks, cutting access by road. 

On Sunday, Maryborough’s CBD was inundated with water after malfunctioning underground gates allowed water to bypass a levee built to keep the floodwater out.

The Mary River was expected to peak at 10.3m on Sunday night, below the 2013 peak of 10.7.