SYDNEY - A severe tropical cyclone packing winds of almost 300 kilometres (186 miles) an hour was Tuesday gaining intensity as it moved steadily towards the northeastern coast of Australia, meteorologists said.
Cyclone 'Ingrid' was upgraded to maximum level of category five and was about 290 kilometres from the coast at 10:00 am (2300 GMT Monday), the Bureau of Meteorology said on its website.
The cyclone "poses a serious threat to the far north Queensland coast," the bureau said in its warning.
"Ingrid has a very destructive core with wind gusts to 290 kilometres per hour," it added.
A spokesman for Queensland's tropical cyclone warning centre in Brisbane said that the bureau had issued a warning for residents along a 500 kilometre stretch of coast north of Cairns but was unsure where the storm would hit land.
"Tropical cyclones, they do produce very heavy rainfall which could lead to local flooding so where the cyclone comes across that will be an issue," Phil Alford said.
Destructive winds, set to hit the coast from later Tuesday, were also likely to cause damage, he said.
The bureau has warned residents to protect their properties, especially boats, before the cyclone hits. The storm was expected to reach land on Wednesday.
One government MP has also warned residents in the area against complacency.
"This one's close enough to be very, very concerned about and I don't think that we can afford to just sit back and hope that it doesn't hit us," ruling party MP Warren Entsch told reporters in Canberra.
03/08/2005 08:28 GMT