Australia’s east coast is closely watching Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which has been churning and strengthening over the Coral Sea. Although the storm is expected to stay offshore for now, it’s still set to bring gusty winds, rising swells and hazardous surf conditions to Queensland’s heavily populated coastline in the coming days.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred has intensified into a category four system but the latest modelling suggests the chance of it making landfall has decreased, according to the BOM.

Evacuation from a popular tourism destination in Australia's Queensland state began on Thursday as Tropical Cyclone Alfred has intensified into a category three system, public broadcaster ABC reported.

There is a high probability Cyclone Alfred, currently around 1,000 kilometres offshore, will cross one of the most highly populated stretches of the Australian coast next week.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred has strengthened to a Category 3 storm and its path is becoming clearer — with Queensland residents warned to stay alert for updates. Alfred is slowly moving south through the Coral Sea and is forecast to continue to move generally south while slowly strengthening.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is a high probability of crossing one of the most highly populated stretches of the Queensland coast by early next week.

The cyclone is expected to keep offshore well into next week but communities along the coast from central Queensland south are preparing for the worst.

Whether it crosses the Queensland coast or curls away from the mainland, Tropical Cyclone Alfred will make its presence felt in the south-east.

Alfred was a tropical cyclone in the Coral Sea Tuesday morning Eastern time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical cyclone had sustained wind speeds of 86 miles per hour,

The weather system is sitting about 910 kilometres north-east of Cairns and is forecast to reach category three by Tuesday.