The cyclone was upgraded to a category two system overnight and is expected to turn west “directly” towards the coast of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast later on Tuesday, with it about 560km east of the capital as of that morning.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has turned west and is heading towards Australia’s east coast as residents in NSW’s Northern Rivers region prepare for the “great unknown” of another natural disaster. Alfred is expected to make landfall as a category 2 storm near Brisbane late on Thursday or early Friday,

More than four million people across Brisbane, the Sunshine coast and Gold Coast in Queensland as well as in northern NSW towns including Byron Bay and Lismore are planning for Cyclone Alfred. Locals been warned to brace for possible daily rainfall totals of 200 to 400 millimetres, life-threatening flash flooding and wind gusts up to 120km/h.