A tropical cyclone watch is in place for parts of New South Wales and Queensland as Tropical Cyclone Alfred barrels towards Australia's east coast. The system is expected to make landfall as a category one system, but the exact location is still unclear.

Brisbane

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is heading towards Australia's east coast, with a tropical cyclone watch currently in place for parts of New South Wales and Queensland. As the system approaches, it is anticipated to make landfall as a category one or possibly a category two cyclone, though the specific point of impact remains uncertain.

Residents from the Sunshine Coast down to the Queensland-New South Wales border are preparing for the impact. The coastlines are already experiencing significant waves, reaching over 8.5 meters, and conditions may worsen with waves potentially reaching up to 17 meters. In light of these hazardous conditions, beaches on the Gold Coast have been closed, although some individuals are ignoring warnings and heading into the water.

Authorities have noted that tropical cyclones rarely affect New South Wales, with the last major event being Tropical Cyclone Nancy in 1990. As part of the preparations, locals are stocking up on essential supplies and sandbags to brace for the expected heavy rain and potential flash and riverine flooding. While the cyclone remains hundreds of kilometers away, the time is running short for final preparations as the severe weather is expected to escalate.



Rare Cyclone could hit Brisbane

From the Sunshine Coast... It's been pretty crazy. It's been insane. We've never seen it this wild before. ..all the way down to the Queensland-New South Wales border. Tonight, millions are bracing for tropical cyclone Alfred. We never want to be the boy who cried wolf, but quite clearly, this is an extraordinary event. Watching and waiting to see when and where exactly Alfred will cross. All of those models are showing the cyclone, at some stage in the next 24 hours, start to head towards the Queensland coast. And we are expecting a Category 2 system, and that looks most likely Thursday or Friday. As two states prepare for one monster system. If this isn't the worst of it, then we're a bit worried, that's for sure. We don't often have tropical cyclones, watches and warnings in the New South Wales jurisdiction. The most recent one was back in 1990 with an event called Tropical Cyclone Nancy. Residents stocking up on the essentials, including sandbags and supplies. Supermarket shelves stripped bare by panic buyers. While tropical cyclone Alfred is still hundreds of kilometres away, we're already seeing the system generate waves of more than 8.5 metres along the Queensland coast. And could reach up to 17 metres. Every beach on the Gold Coast is closed. There are hazardous conditions on the beach, so stay away from the beaches. Warnings ignored by some. It's good to see some good swell coming through. It's a good workout, get the arms pumping. Yeah, I mean, I flew up from Sydney for this. Yeah, so it's pretty on. While others opted for a dive, with time running out to get ready. From Wednesday, we're also expecting to see heavy rain, which will start to cause flash flooding and potentially riverine flooding. Tiani Reid for 10 News First.

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