Tens of thousands of people in Australia’s Queensland state were without power on Friday after a tropical cyclone hit overnight, bringing damaging winds and heavy rains, writes Reuters.

Tropical cyclone Kirrily, a category two system, made landfall late on Thursday along the coast bordering the Great Barrier Reef near the tourist town of Townsville, before being downgraded to a tropical low on Friday.

Australia is in the grips of an El Nino weather event, which is typically associated with extreme phenomena such as cyclones, wildfires, droughts and heatwaves.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that 64,000 people were without power on Friday due to the storm. Ergon Energy spokesperson Emma Oliveri said most power outages were in Townsville, adding that it was too early to say when power would be restored.

Category 2 cyclones are 3 rungs away from the most dangerous and can cause significant damage to trees, caravans, and crops, and break boats from their moorings.