Debbie blew away the previous official recorded wind gust speed by more than 50km/h, with 263km/h gusts blasting Hamilton Island on Tuesday morning.

Previously, the highest wind gust recorded in Queensland was during Cyclone Marcia, on Middle Percy Island in 2015 of 208km/h.

So just how did Debbie measure up?

We've broken down the key facts on Debbie and how it compares with previous destructive cyclones.

How does Cyclone Debbie compare?

Debbie: Category 4 - maximum wind gusts recorded at 263km/h. Roofs lost, properties destroyed, trees felled, boats wrecked, heavy rain, flooding predicted, roads cut, 63,000 people without power.

Marcia (2015, central Queensland): Category 5 - maximum wind gusts recorded 208km/h, estimated 295km/h. Houses damaged, uprooted trees, downed power lines, storm surge, beach erosion, rainfall totals up to 300mm in 6-8 hours, flooding.

Yasi (2011, north Queensland): Category 5 - maximum wind gusts estimated 285km/h. Major property damage, banana crops destroyed, rainfall totals up to 471mm, storm surge.

Larry (2006, north Queensland): Category 4/5 - maximum wind gusts estimated 240km/h. Extensive damage to infrastructure and crops, with total loss estimated at half a billion dollars, about 10,000 houses damaged, flooding disrupted road and rail access for several days.

Orson (1989, Western Australia): Category 5 - Wind gusts of 249km/h recorded. Caused $20.9 million in damages in 1989 dollars, with damage to 70 per cent of homes in Pannawonica.

Tracy (1974, Darwin): Category 4 - maximum wind gusts recorded 217km/h. At least 65 people died, the majority of buildings in Darwin were destroyed or badly damaged, with the damage bill in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Debbie rainfall - 48 hours to 9am Wednesday

Hamilton Island - 242.4mm

Mackay - 227.6mm

Proserpine - 289.4mm - but the gauge broke at 2.42am

Bowen - 381.2mm

Moranbah - 120.8mm

Wind speeds

Strongest wind recorded on Hamilton Island - wind gusts of 263km/h at 10.30am, the wind speed at the time was 183km/h.

Debbie featured the strongest gusts official recorded in Queensland.

The strongest wind gusts recorded in Australia were 267km/h in Western Australia in 1999 during Cyclone Vance.

Other cyclones have likely brought stronger winds, with highest estimated wind gusts, but they were not officially recorded.

Debbie has been downgraded to a tropical low but still carried sustained winds near the centre of 55km/h and wind gusts up to 120km/h.

At 5am (AEST) on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology indicated the system was 100km south-west of Collinsville, and 125km north-west of Moranbah.

Weather to come

Debbie was expected to more south over the central interior of the state about 14 km/h.

Damaging winds and heavy rain would continue to lash the Central Coast, Whitsundays, Central Highlands and Coalfields districts on Wednesday.

Widespread falls of up to 250mm were expected, with flash flooding possible in areas including Mackay, Yeppoon and Emerald.

The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting heavy rain in the south-east Queensland corner from Thursday, easing on Friday.

Meteorologist Adam Blazak said there would likely be strong, gusty winds on the weekend around Moreton Bay, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, with temperatures set to drop.

Dam releases and totals

Queensland dams are being monitored closely by SunWater and Seqwater following Cyclone Debbie.

The weather bureau had issued a flood watch for coastal catchments between Ayr and the NSW border.

Dams in the Bowen and Mackay area were experiencing inflows and minor downstream flows, with significant increases in outflows likely within the next 72 hours.

With heavy rain predicted in south-east Queensland, Water Supply Minister Mark Bailey said operational releases from Somerset Dam to Wivenhoe Dam would be made on Wednesday to balance supply volumes, but it would not impact flooding downstream of Wivenhoe Dam.

Wivenhoe Dam and North Pine Dam were not releasing floodwater and were unlikely to do so in the next 24-36 hours.

South-east Queensland's combined water storage capacity was at 71.7 per cent.

Wivenhoe Dam was at 67.9 per cent, Somerset Dam was 74.5 per cent and North Pine Dam was 51.5 per cent. The floodwater storage compartments at Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam were fully available.

Ungated dams - Hinze Dam, Little Nerang Dam, Wyaralong Dam and Wappa Dam - were currently spilling.

Worst hit areas

WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS

Hamilton Island, which bore the initial brunt of Cyclone Debbie, had substantial structural damage.

About 200 holiday-makers and 100 staff on Daydream Island, which also suffered structural damage, were running low on water.

Two fishermen had been rescued after their boat ran aground on rocks on the western side of Whitsunday Island.

AIRLIE BEACH

Significant damage to homes, roofs lying in yards.

The Shute Harbour Motel has been destroyed, with owner Dave McInerney taking shelter in one of the room's toilets overnight.

BOWEN

A "war zone" with powerlines down and properties damaged, according to Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox.

The road south to Proserpine was cut due to flooding.

COLLINSVILLE

Damage to buildings including a pub, which lost its roof.

PROSERPINE

A man hit by a falling wall was in a stable condition. Significant structural damage.

Other facts

Roads were cut around Bowen, Airlie Beach and Proserpine.

More than 63,000 homes were without power, with more than 800 staff from Energy Queensland to help restore service.

Mature cane crops, part of the region's $1 billion sugar industry, have been flattened.

Authorities have received 600 calls for help.

The army will join emergency crews, including 50 personnel from NSW and the ACT, to assess damage.

Seventy doctors and nurses from Townsville have been sent to Bowen and Proserpine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk would visit Bowen and Proserpine on Wednesday afternoon with Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and State Disaster Recovery Co-ordinator Brigadier Christopher Field to inspect the damage.

- with AAP