Alfred is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane, the capital of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city.

Millions of Australians have been warned to prepare for Cyclone Alfred, a dangerous storm that will bring widespread disruption to southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. It's extremely rare to see a cyclone as far south as this which will impact the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

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.

Early wind and rain from a rare tropical cyclone began lashing part of eastern Australia on Thursday as schools were closed, public transport was stopped and desperate residents got around shortages of sandbags by buying potting mix.