According to the most recent update from the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), a severe category 5 tropical cyclone is on track to slam the coast of northeastern Australia on Friday. The storm is expected to bring with it destructive winds, dangerous storm surges and heavy rainfall.

As of 10:00 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST), Tropical Cyclone Ita was located approximately 320 km (199 miles) north-northeast of Cooktown and 455 km (283 miles) north of Cairns.

The storm is currently moving in a west-southwesterly path at around 15 km (9 miles) per hour. It is now officially a category 5 storm with winds gusting near its center at 285 km (177 miles) per hour.

The Australian government has issued a cyclone warning for coastal areas from Lockhart River to Innisfail, including Cooktown, Port Douglas and Cairns and extending inland toward Kalinga, Palmerville and Chillagoe.

A cyclone watch is currently in effect for coastal areas from Innisfail to Cardwell and extends further on to adjacent inland regions.

Ita is headed on a trajectory toward the far north Queensland coast. BOM officials anticipate that the storm will maintain its category 5 strength when it makes landfall on Friday, somewhere between Cape Melville and Cape Tribulation.

As Ita reaches the coast, destructive winds are expected to lash out from the storm's core, with gales extending out a significant distance from the landfall location.

According to officials, the dangerous and destructive winds may develop between Cape Melville and Cooktown as early as sunrise on Friday. These winds are expected to extend inland towards Laura and further south towards Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas as the day goes on.

Coastal residents living in the areas between Cape Melville and Cape Tribulation, including Cooktown, are also warned to expect a severe and dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast tomorrow.

"The big concerns that people need to be preparing themselves for are storm surge, which means in low-lying areas water much higher potentially than normal tides, potentially 1.5 meters higher than the highest tide you would normally ever see and that could be all the way down the coast," Queensland's [State] Premier Campbell Newman told reporters.

"The other big concern of course will be the normal high winds that can cause debris flying around... and finally very intense rain causing quite severe local flooding."

According to officials at the BOM's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, in terms of the aforementioned storm surge, the sea is likely to rise steadily up to a level significantly higher than normal tide. With the surge will come damaging waves, strong currents and widespread flooding throughout the affected area.

Additionally, very heavy rain that is anticipated to lead to flash flooding is expected to develop in parts of the Queensland Peninsula, North Tropical Coast and Tablelands districts on Friday and will continue on through the weekend.

"People in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by the authorities," the BOM warned coastal residents.

According to Queensland Premier Newman, up to 9,000 people could be affected by this storm. Officials warn that residents should be prepared for loss of electricity for a month or more if the storm continues at its current pace and path, causing the damage anticipated by weather experts.

Reuters reports that Australian energy minister Mark McArdle said that Ita is quite possibly the most powerful storm to threaten the area since Tropical Cyclone Yasi ripped through the region in February 2011. Yasi reportedly cost approximately $3.5 billion in property damage and lost tourism earnings after thoroughly pummeling Queensland.

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