Wind and rain are increasing along Queensland’s North Tropical Coast as Tropical Cyclone Jasper moves closer to land, ahead of making landfall later today.

The animation below shows the sun rising over Jasper on Wednesday morning. At 9am AEST, it was a category one system located 130 km north northeast of Cairns.

Some of the heaviest rain so far has been well to the south of Jasper thanks to a stream of moisture-laden winds feeding into Qld’s central coast and ranges. A rain gauge at Clarke Range, to the west of Mackay, received 467 mm of rain during the 48 hours ending at 9am on Wednesday. Closer to Jasper, a few gauges between Cairns and Tully picked up 100 to 130 mm in the 24 hours ending at 9am Wednesday.

Jasper may intensify slightly as it approaches northeast Qld today, with the Bureau anticipating landfall as a category two system late on Wednesday afternoon or evening between Hopevale and Cairns.

Jasper’s coastal crossing will bring heavy rain, flooding, damaging to destructive winds and a storm tide along parts of the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands today. Numerous warnings are in place, including a cyclone warning, a severe weather warning and a flood watch.

While Jasper will waken quickly from this evening after moving over land this, its remnant low pressure system will carry heavy rain across Cape York Peninsula on Thursday and Friday. Looking further ahead, the low could move over the Gulf of Carpentaria on the weekend, where it may regain strength over the Gulf’s warm water.