Tropical Cyclone Ului has already made 'islandfall' and affecting the Whitsunday Islands, with Hamilton Island recording a 202km/h wind gust at 12:30am. The eye of the cyclone is almost over the island as at 1:04am with wind gusts starting to drop.The Mackay weather radar image at 1:10am clearly (left) shows the circular eye just passing over the islands and just beginning to make landfall near Proserpine.
Ergon Energy along with local residents & visitors (via Twitter) are reporting power outages across the region including Mackay, Sarina, the Whitsundays and Gladstone
The latest Tropical Cyclone Advice from the BOM "At 1:00 am EST the cyclone is estimated to be 69 kilometres east of Bowen and 125 kilometres north northwest of Mackay.The cyclone is currently crossing the Whitsunday Islands as a severe tropical cyclone and is expected to move west and make landfall Bowen and Proserpine in the next hour. The cyclone is then expected to weaken as it moves inland later today."
Meanwhile here on the Gold Coast, it's a relatively calm night compared to up north, with the Gold Coast Seaway recording winds at 30km/h gusting up to 35km/h at 1:00am.It will be a sleepless night for our friends in Central Queensland, stay safe and remember to not venture outside if you find yourself in the eye of the cyclone as winds may remain light for up to an hour - very destructive winds from a different direction could resume at any time.