Cyclone Alfred LIVE Updates: Brisbane airport cancels flights; early rain, wind from rare cyclone hit eastern Australia

Schools closed, public transport stopped – What we know about rare storm nearing Australian coastTropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday with the strength of a category 1 Atlantic hurricane, as it swirls west toward the city of Brisbane, home to 2.5 million people, and coastal suburbs either side.ALSO READ: Brisbane Airport cancels flights; schools closed, transport halted as storm approaches Australian coastAlfred is threatening a region that doesn’t normally experience cyclones; they typically form much further north, over warmer waters in the tropics. The delay in the storm’s arrival gave officials more time to issue warnings to anxious residents living in properties previously untested by cyclonic winds.Catch Live Updates With MintCyclone Alfred LIVE Updates: Prime minister Anthony Albanese said 660 schools in southern Queensland and 280 schools in northern New South Wales were closed on Thursday as weather conditions worsen."My message to people, whether they be in southeast Queensland or northern New South Wales, is we are there to support you.

We have your back," Mr Albanese told reporters in the national capital Canberra.Cyclone Alfred LIVE Updates: American rapper and actor Ice Cube is stranded on the Gold Coast as Tropical Cyclone Alfred intensifies. Scheduled to perform in Sydney, he joked about the severe weather, saying the beach might soon be in his hotel lobby.Actress Isla Fisher also shared a selfie with her followers, saying she was “hunkered down waiting for the cyclone."Cyclone Alfred LIVE Updates: Thousands of residents in New South Wales’ Northern Rivers region have been ordered to evacuate as rising floodwaters threaten homes and infrastructure.The State