Cyclone Yasi is a Category 5 Cyclone bound for Queensland

Today, Queensland, devastated by recent floods, will be smashed by a Category 5 cyclone surpassing the size and destructive intensity of Cyclones Tracy and Larry.

This morning’s “Age” newspaper reports that Cyclone Yasi is “expected to smash into the coast near Cairns tonight (10pm local time, 7pm in Vietnam) with furious winds, torrential rain and floods adding to Queensland’s massive damage bill from natural disasters this summer.

“The cyclone was upgraded overnight, meaning winds of up to the 300km/h mark are expected.”

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued an update saying that Yasi is a “large and very powerful tropical cyclone and poses an extremely serious threat to life and property within the warning area. This impact is likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations.”

Yasi has caused a run on food supplies

That’s an incredibly stark and grave warning.

The Queensland Premier warns that “the next 24 hours is going to be, frankly, a very terrifying 24 hours for many people in the danger area”.

Meanwhile, the BOM’s weather radar on Willis Island (north east of Cairns) has been knocked out by the approaching cyclone, with huge winds recorded just after 8am local time before it went down.

“The highest wind we did record was a gust up to about 180km/h before it failed,” said the BOM.

The Vietnam Swans, again, wish our fellow Queenslanders well – this time as they prepare to face the fury of mother nature in the form of a Category 5 cyclone.