Australia’s north-east braces itself for severe tropical cyclone Narelle

A severe tropical cyclone neared Australia's northeast coast on Friday as residents braced for destructive winds, heavy rain, flash floods and power outages, while authorities urged them to take immediate shelter.



Cyclone Narelle, currently swirling about 30 km (19 miles) off the coast in the Coral Sea, is expected to make landfall on Friday morning as a category four storm, one rung below the strongest category five, Australia's weather bureau said.



The storm could unleash winds of up to 250 km per hour, strong enough to uproot trees and send debris airborne, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines told ABC News.



The cyclone is expected to cross the coast before 9 a.m. (2200 GMT, Thursday) and weaken as it tracks westward across the Cape York Peninsula over the next 18 hours.