Cyclone Ilsa is expected to dump heavy rain on the region – as much as 200 to 300 millimeters, according to BOM – and vast areas of the state are under flood watch.
“Riverine flooding may significantly impact roads and access routes, with many paths becoming muddy or even inaccessible over the coming days,” Bradbury said on Thursday.
The strongest storm ever to hit any part of Australia was Cyclone Monica, which arrived in 2006 with sustained winds around 290 kph (180 mph), as it swept across the eastern and northern parts of Australia.
That cyclone missed highly populated areas but brought down trees and caused severe damage to vegetation along with a storm surge up to six meters high.
