Canberra, Feb 20 (IANS): Australia is preparing for two severe cyclones that are set to hit and cause major damage Friday.

Cyclone Marcia, which was upgraded to a category five cyclone Friday morning, is likely to reach the coast of central Queensland after tracking south and gathering wind speeds of up to 295 km per hour, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, cyclone Lam has already hit remote areas of the Northern Territory with wind gusts in excess of 250 km per hour.

It is anticipated that more than 1,000 people have already been impacted by cyclone Lam, which is blowing just 560 km east of Darwin.

Senior forecaster at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Sam Campbell believes the storm will cause mass damage to infrastructure, while also putting a higher risk on severe flooding.

"There's likely to be significant damage to roofs, buildings, debris flying through the air, widespread power failures and really the potential for widespread destruction over the warning area," Campbell said.

Meanwhile, police are warning people to remain indoors as the cyclones are moving closer.