Tropical Cyclone Alfred live updates: What Aussies need to know as it barrels towards coast

Queensland schools will remain open today despite the looming threat of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

The Queensland Department of Education said schools will stay open on Wednesday, while schools on North Stradbroke and Moreton Bay islands will be open for supervision only.

‘Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the South East Queensland coast either late Thursday evening or early Friday morning,’ a spokesperson said.

‘We will continue to monitor the weather conditions and take action where necessary to ensure the safety of our students, staff and the wider community.’

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli warned there was a ‘very strong’ likelihood they may close when Alfred crosses the coast.

‘This is certainly an event that doesn’t happen a lot for this part of the state, but it isn’t unprecedented and I am asking Queenslanders to be ready for it,’ he said.

Thousands have already fled their homes as Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on Australia’s east coast.

The cyclone intensified to a category two system as it changed course and headed towards the south-east Queensland coast.

Last recorded 510km east of Brisbane late Tuesday, Tropical Cyclone Alfred is set to make landfall north of the city either late Thursday or early Friday, bringing destructive winds of up to 130km/h, torrential rain, dangerous surf conditions and major flooding.

Authorities have urged millions in two states between Noosa Heads on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Ballina in northern NSW to prepare to evacuate or hunker down.

Voluntary evacuations began on Stradbroke Island on Tuesday as police door-knocked hundreds of homes in low lying areas between the Gold Coast and Sunshine coasts.

South-east Queensland is hours away from coming to an abrupt standstill with schools, university campuses, Gold Coast theme parks, offices and public transport systems all set to shut down on Thursday.

The Brisbane CBD will become a ghost town for the first time since Covid-19 lockdowns with residents ordered to work from home.

Almost 20,000 homes in the Brisbane Council catchment area will be flooded if Alfred continues on its projected path, according to the latest modelling.