As it happened: Narelle leaves trail of destruction as it moves across Cape York Peninsula; Coastal towns see storm surge; Emergency alerts issued for towns in firing line

That's where we'll leave our live coverage of Tropical Cyclone Narelle today.

Premier David Crisafulli is due to provide an update at 3.30pm (4.30pm AEDT).

Keep an eye out for updates on 9news.com.au this evening and tomorrow, when the cyclone is anticipated to hit the Northern Territory.

Transport is going to be an issue across the Cape for a while with several roads and river crossings closed.

Images from the Department of Transport and Main Roads this afternoon show water over several crossings.

Emergency services are already on the ground in Coen and Cooktown.

About 230 homes are without power across the Cook Shire Council area, including 70 in Lockhart River where an emergency alert has been issued for fallen powerlines.

Premier David Crisafulli has promised there will be "no daylight" between response and recovery.

We're expecting to hear from him again this afternoon on how extensive the damage has been to infrastructure.

So far, there's been no reports of fatalities or serious injury.

Queensland Ambulance Service said they haven't received any injuries or call-outs of note.

Flooding at Archer River, north of Coen, is putting its new bridge to the test.

The Archer River Crossing was completed in 2024, designed specifically to minimise road closures due to flooding during the wet season.

Department of Transport and Main Roads cameras show how quickly the river has risen in 48 hours.

The first image is from around midday Wednesday.

The second shows water lapping the bridge at midday today.

The cyclone is moving inland, bringing heavy to intense rain across the Cape York Peninsula as towns on the east coast report damage to roofs and fallen trees.

River catchments are already wet to saturated, as is much of the state, so rapid river rises, flash flooding and tree falls are likely.

Bureau meteorologist Angus Hines said some locations have already seen well in excess of 100mm for the day and there are a few more hundred to come bringing totals up to 400mm.

Traffic cameras have shown the extent of the flooding in far north Queensland.

This image from Queensland Traffic shows Mossman Daintree Road at Barratt Creek Bridge in Daintree underwater.

Cyclone Narelle is sitting about 45km north of Coen and is moving west at about 21 k/h.

If you're unfamiliar with the geography of Far North Queensland, the Cape is only about 200km wide in this location.

As you can see in the Bureau's forecast track map below, the next communities in the firing line are between Mapoon and Pormpuraaw on the Cape's west coast, including Weipa and Aurukun, Mission River and Napranum.

Narelle is weakening as it crosses land, as is expected, but will hit the Gulf of Carpentaria tonight and is expected to strengthen again before impacting the Northern Territory late tomorrow.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle has weakened into a category 3.

There are sustained winds of 155km/h near the centre of with wind gusts to 220km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest update.

The system is moving inland across the Cape York Peninsula.

However residents are being warned the system is likely to intensify again.

The storm surges from Cyclone Narelle are being felt on far north coast beaches as far south as Cairns.

This footage, uploaded to Facebook, shows waves pushing up against the concrete walking track at Clifton Beach, as trees and benches are seen slowly being taken by the ocean.

Meanwhile just down the beach at Kewerra, surfers have been spotted making the most of the swell.

It is currently stinger season in far north Queensland.

Each year from November to May, stinger nets are installed at select beaches to keep away marine stingers like jellyfish and bluebottles.

The nets have been removed at Port Douglas due to the debris coming in amid the storm surge.

Walker estimates it could be a few days before the debris is cleared.

"It depends on the weather system," he said.

"If we get a lot of rain, a lot of stuff will flood out of the rivers nearby, which is where a lot of logs and debris are coming from - that can be dangerous.

"Having no net makes it more dangerous for people who go to swim, the stingers will still be out there, even in these rough conditions.

"A lot of rain and floodwaters can cause crocodiles to leave their natural habitat.

"They sometimes come out into the ocean."