Tropical Cyclone Alfred is threatening to make landfall late next week as its unpredictability continues to cause concern for Queenslanders living on the coast.
The weather system briefly intensified to a category four on Friday before it was downgraded to a category three in the latest update by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is over the Coral Sea, about 670 kilometres east of Mackay.
It is forecast to move towards the Queensland coast on Saturday but then move back out again the next two days. But after that it could shift towards land again.
Sky News Australia meteorologist Rob Sharpe described it as a “tricky system” to predict and warned about damaging and dangerous surf for the next few days.
The threat stretches 600 kilometres from Gladstone down to the Gold Coast.
“We’re talking about some really big waves developing and abnormally high tide so it could lead to some coastal inundation as well,” Sharpe said on Saturday morning.
The BOM has warned of “severe coastal hazards” on Saturday.
“A large and powerful to potentially damaging easterly swell as well as abnormally high tides are developing about exposed central and southern Queensland beaches from later today, and possibly to northern New South Wales from Sunday or Monday,” it said.
The Bureau also issued an alert for the southern Great Barrier Reef islands, including Heron and Lady Elliot islands to K’gari for strong gale-force winds.
Sharpe, pointing to the forecast map, said Tropical Cyclone Alfred could move “anywhere” in the shaded white area the next few days, including over land.
“If we see landfall from this system, it’s a pretty decent chance to be around Thursday or Friday next week,” the Sky News meteorologist added.
He predicted a 60 per cent chance of landfall.
The communities that will be likely impacted over coming days and throughout next week include south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
There is also significant rain forecast for those areas, with 100 millimetres predicted to fall the next seven days. But that figure could be higher if Alfred makes landfall.
