Cyclone Alfred update: How long will the storm last - and will it hit Melbourne? What category is it now

Alfred is now about 325km east of Brisbane, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). It is moving towards the southeast Queensland coast at 16kmph. There’s a concern that Alfred could slow down to 11kmph, which would be the “worst case scenario”, Higgins Storm Chasing’s Thomas Hinterdorfer told The Courier-Mail.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Thursday or Friday north of Brisbane, bringing more than half a metre of rain, flooding and destructive winds. It is now an “extremely rare” Category 2 storm.

The cyclone is maintaining Category 2 strength with gusts up to 130kmph. Authorities say the cyclone’s impact will extend far beyond the landfall zone, with destructive winds, extreme rainfall, and dangerous storm surges from Double Island Point (QLD) to Ballina (NSW).

Queensland premier David Crisafulli warned: “There is a chance this cyclone will cross in the middle of the night with a high tide. That is not the time to be making your evacuation plan, now is the time”. The federal government has delivered 310,000 sandbags to Brisbane and more were on the way, prime minister Anthony Albanese said. Public transport in the area was stopped from Thursday and hospitals were limited to performing emergency surgeries until the danger had passed.

Cyclone Alfred is expected to weaken to a Category 1 system by early Saturday morning as it moves closer to the Queensland coast, the Bureau of Meteorology has said. While Alfred remains a Category 2 cyclone, it is likely to maintain this intensity until its centre nears the coast and islands, according to the bureau’s latest update. A tracking map released by forecasters suggests the system could weaken to Category 1 as it passes over Moreton Island around 1am Queensland time on Saturday.

The BOM said warning zones stretched from Double Island Point in Queensland to Yamba in NSW, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina. The Cyclone is currently heading towards the east coast of Australia and there is no warning that it will hit the city of Melbourne.