 The low tracked to the southwest and approached the southern coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria, before moving eastwards towards Queensland.On 5 February, the JTWC reissued their TCFA on the system, while the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Brisbane upgraded the system to tropical cyclone status, naming it Nelson, as well as issuing cyclone warnings for the Queensland coast surrounding the Gulf.The cyclone intensified to a Category 2 on the Australian scale late on 6 February and peaked while crossing the coast with gusts reaching 140 km/h (85 mph).