Cyclone Alfred is set to bring damaging winds and heavy rain to Australia's east coast when it makes landfall as a category 2 storm later this week. It's the first cyclone to hit the region in since Cyclone Zoe in 1974.

Millions of residents along Australia’s eastern coast are bracing for the arrival of a very slow-moving storm, the strongest tropical cyclone to threaten the region in more than 50 years. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday with the strength of a category 1 Atlantic hurricane,

The fringe of a tropical cyclone started whipping eastern Australia on Thursday (Mar 6), bringing drenching rains and record-breaking waves to a heavily populated region rarely hit by typhoons.

Ice Cube has found himself caught in the chaos of Cyclone Alfred, with the rap icon stranded at his Gold Coast hotel as the storm barrels toward Australia’s southeastern coast.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane as a Category 2 storm on Friday or Saturday.

Brisbane airport was closed as the centre of Alfred is expected to cross the coast very early Saturday morning, most likely between Noosa and Coolangatta of Queensland accordinng to Australia's Bureau

Cyclone Alfred is unusual for two reasons — it has formed way too south, and is moving slowly. Both these factors make it more dangerous. We explain why.

But while authorities have been warning residents to stay indoors as Cyclone Alfred approaches, die-hard surfers have been throwing caution to the increasing wind. "This is what we look forward to," said Jeff Weatherall as he waited for a jet ski to pick him up from Kirra beach and carry him into the big waves.

Damaging winds, heavy rainfall and life-threatening floods are expected after the storm made a sudden shift toward Queensland.