Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred is a Category 3 system this Friday morning, after becoming as strong as Category 4 on Thursday night.

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.

Campers on K’gari, Inskip and Cooloola are being urged to evacuate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred intensifies offshore. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is advising all campers to leave the areas “while it is still safe to do so”.

Densely-populated southeast Queensland is facing the first direct impact in decades from a powerful tropical cyclone, with its pristine beaches expected to be pounded by heavy swell.

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

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

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,