They may have outstayed their welcome at the Gold Coast but North Queensland may not be leaving any time soon due to Tropical Cyclone Debbie.

The Cowboys weathered a late Titans storm to break local hearts with a 32-26 NRL win at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

And it seems North Queensland may have time to savour the win with Sunday flights in danger of being cancelled as a cyclone looms off hometown Townsville.

Cyclone Debbie is expected to hit the north Queensland coast by Tuesday morning as a Category Four system with wind gusts of up to 260kph.

“It’s getting a little bit more serious,” Cowboys coach Paul Green said.

“But they are staying at this stage the (Townsville) airport is still open and they are not looking at closing it until Monday.

“It would be good to get home. Everyone can look after their families and do what you have to do to prepare for a cyclone.”

A big question mark may also hang over Friday night’s clash with South Sydney in Townsville.

“We will play it by ear a little bit,” Green said of their preparation.

“We have a couple of contingency plans particularly around training – we will wait and see.

“Next Friday night is the least of our worries at this stage.”

At least North Queensland have had some practice in waiting out a cyclone.

In April 2014 the Cowboys were stranded in Sydney for 24 hours after a loss to the Wests Tigers due to the effects of Cyclone Ita in north Queensland.

“We got stuck in Sydney a couple of years ago,” Green said.

“It was good. We ended up going out for dinner and having a pretty good time.

“But it would be good to get home and make sure everyone is safe.”

Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston had an extra reason to get home after the birth of his third child, Lillie Rose, on Wednesday.

“I will be glad to get home and spend some time with the family,” Thurston said.

Lillie Rose is Thurston’s third daughter.

“He’s trying for a netball team,” Green laughed.