People prepare for wild weather as meteorologists forecast Tropical Cyclone Alfred will hit Queensland later this week, with the state’s capital in its path

A heavily populated stretch of Australia’s eastern coast battened down Tuesday for what could be the first tropical cyclone to pummel the region in 50 years. Tropical Cyclone Alfred was swirling about 550 kilometers (340 miles) east of major city Brisbane,

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the south-east Queensland coast later this week, bringing significant wind, rain and coastal impacts.

It will be the first time the south-east has been in the direct firing line of a tropical cyclone in several decades.

A large swathe of Australia’s east coast is preparing for strong winds and life-threatening flooding as a tropical cyclone is forecast to make landfall around the nation’s third-largest city.

More than 700 mm of rain could inundate parts of southeast Queensland and northeast NSW later this week as Tropical Cycl