Tropical Cyclone Niran is expected to intensify into a category three storm within the next 24 hours, bringing gales to coastal and island communities.
The slow-moving category two system is hovering about 320 kilometres north-east of Cairns.
Winds of 100 kilometres an hour have been recorded at Niran’s centre, with gusts up to 140kph.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) updated its warning zone early this morning, with communities from Cape Melville to Innisfail now in the warning zone.
The cyclone is not expected to make landfall.
However, as the system strengthens, gales up to 100kph may develop today or early tomorrow which will impact Innisfail, Cooktown, Port Douglas, and Cairns.
BOM forecaster Ricus Lombard said it was due to start tracking east in the coming days.
“It’s only really when we see it start moving away early Friday, when it’s easing a bit more,” he said.
Eleven schools are closed in the Cairns region, and trees and powerlines are still down as drivers continue to ignore safety warnings.
The SES in Cairns said it had attended homes with leaking roofs and minor flooding and while no-one had been injured, emergency responders remained on high alert.
The SES has responded to more than 165 jobs since Sunday.
Ergon crews in Far North Queensland were worked into the night and were out again this morning in a bid to restore power to thousands of customers.
The BOM said abnormally high tides and large waves were also posing a threat, with a flood watch issued for the north tropical coast between Cooktown and Rollingstone.
Wind gusts have already torn through banana plantations along the coast, decimating crops.
Grower Dianna Sciacca at South Johnstone said farms were not prepared, after an already difficult season of lower prices and a shortage of international workers.
“Most of the farms beside us, they’re looking at 90 to 100 per cent [damage], we’re probably 80 to 90,” she said.
“We probably won’t have an income after we’ve cleaned up now until probably September, October this year.
“And same for everyone in this area as well.”
Meanwhile, Townsville’s BOM radar which went off-line on Sunday morning should be working again by Thursday.
BOM senior officer Peter Stone said a part had failed and was being replaced.
“One of the design features of the way we have our radars placed is, if one goes down there are overlapping radars,” he said.
“So, if you look at the radar image for Townsville on the bureau APP for example, the Bowen radar has been covering.”
ABC