Early reports on cyclone Ita

Still early morning in Queensland as I post this

Ita weakens to category 2 storm

Radio NZ,

12 April, 2014

Tropical Cyclone Ita is now downgraded to a category two storm after crossing the north coast of Queensland on Friday night. The cyclone made landfall as a category four storm.

Tropical cyclone Ita weakened as it moved inland from Cooktown on the north coast of Queensland on Saturday.

Cooktown on Friday afternoon.

Photo: AAP

The Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday downgraded Ita to a category two cyclone - from a category four when it hit the coast - as it tracks south across the state.

At 6am (AEST) the cyclone was 20km southwest of Cooktown and 160km north of Cairns and moving at 8km/h, the bureau said.

AAP reports a cyclone warning was still current for coastal areas from Cape Melville to Cardwell including Cooktown, Port Douglas and Cairns, and extending inland to areas including Mareeba and Chillagoe.

Gales with gusts of up to 110 km/h were possible between Cape Melville and Port Douglas Mareeba later in the day, and as far south as Innisfail, Chillagoe and Cardwell on Saturday evening.

The bureau warned coastal residents between Cooktown and Cairns, including Port Douglas, of a storm tide and said heavy rain could lead to flash flooding in parts of the Peninsula, North Tropical Coast and Tablelands districts.

Ita crossed the coast near Cape Flattery, with winds near the centre up to 230km/h, about 10pm on Friday.

By midnight, Ita had been downgraded to category three with winds gusts up to 117km/h had recorded in Cooktown just after midnight.

Residents were warned that properties built before 1985 might not withstand the winds.

The state government is assessing how fast power and phone lines can be reconnected.

At least two houses and a pub in Cooktown lost their roofs. Trees were uprooted and fence posts and powerlines were strewn across roads.

Premier Campbell Newman said both Hopevale and Cooktown lost power.

"We've really got to this morning assess how swiftly we can get the power and telecommunications back on in these communities,'' he told ABC Radio.