Thousands of people are without power and others have evacuated as Tropical Cyclone Jasper brings drenching rain and strong winds to far north Queensland.

Trees had been uprooted and waves were surging in Cairns as Jasper neared the coast on Wednesday afternoon, moving at just 9km/h.

It has intensified to a category two system, and is forecast to make landfall somewhere between Hopevale and Cairns about 5pm (AEST), bringing flash flooding and destructive winds of up to 140km/hr.

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The SES had responded to more than 80 calls for assistance shortly after midday, as power was cut to more than 8000 homes. More than 90 people were already in evacuation centres.

Queensland Police reported that trees and power lines had fallen on numerous roads, and urged locals to avoid unnecessary travel.

Homes and businesses in the area have been boarded up ahead of the wild weather, with those remaining in Cairns urged to shelter in place. Elsewhere, footage shared online by News Corp showed dozens of tour boats and yachts taking refuge in creeks near Port Douglas as the cyclone approached.

The Cairns Disaster Management Group issued an emergency alert for the tourist city on Wednesday afternoon.

“Residents are advised to take shelter now in the strongest part of the building they are in,” it said.

Earlier, state disaster coordinator and Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said “now is the time to stay indoors”.

“If you’re in a low-lying area or you do not feel safe in your home, now is the opportunity to move to an evacuation centre,” he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology said Jasper – which will be the first cyclone to hit Cairns in decades – was not expected to strengthen to category three before it hit the coastline.

“The most likely scenario at this stage is that the system will cross as a category two system late this afternoon or early this evening,” BOM spokeswoman Laura Boekel said.

“The major risk for today is flash flooding. We are likely to see totals in six hours of 250-300 millimetres.”

The category one system was producing wind gusts of up to 110km/hr on Wednesday.

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Evacuation centres have been established in Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said he would head to Cairns on Wednesday.

“It’s my intention to travel to regional Queensland today to be as close as I can safely be while out of the way of those who need to respond to the cyclone,” he said.

There is a tropical cyclone warning for the area from Cape Melville to Cardwell. It includes Cairns and Innisfail and extends inland to include the Atherton Tablelands, Chillagoe and Palmerville.

Residents in the region have been busy preparing for flash flooding and potentially days without power.

About 450 Energy Queensland staff are on standby at Rockhampton and Townsville while more than 100 emergency personnel have been deployed out of Brisbane to boost local crews.

The army is also poised to assist.

“We stand ready to support far north Queensland, the Queensland government and local governments in any way needed in the days ahead,” federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said.

“There have already been discussions underway at the federal level with the defence force to ensure that they are postured and ready to provide assistance if that’s required.”

The weather bureau expects Cyclone Jasper to weaken quickly as it moves inland and over Cape York Peninsula. It is expected to re-intensify as it moves into the Gulf of Carpentaria at the weekend.

-with AAP