Australia Cyclone: Yasi Descends On The Mainland (RAW VIDEO)

Cyclone Yasi made landfall today, tearing roofs from houses, ripping branches from trees, and causing general destruction.

The cyclone, which made landfall in northern Queensland, brought winds of up to 186 mph and almost 30 foot waves, according to the Guardian. Recently a category 5, the now category 3 cyclone, continues to travel inland, where it should begin to die down late Thursday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Yasi's incredibly powerful winds can be seen below, ripping branches from trees with tremendous gusts. The Guardian reports that the cyclone also downed numerous power-lines as residents slept in evacuation centers.

Yasi is apparently the largest tropical storm to hit the continent since Europeans settled there, even out-sizing Larry, a cyclone that destroyed 10,000 homes 5 years ago.

"It is just a scene of mass devastation," one witness told the Guardian. "Larry was a boy compared to this."

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