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.

Satellite imagery can help determine the strength, size and cohesion of a storm. The stronger a storm becomes, the more likely an eye will form in the center. When the eye looks symmetrical, that often means the storm is not encountering anything to weaken it.

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.

Tropical cyclone is the catch-all term for the powerful, spinning storms that feed off warm oceans and the strength of which is determined by wind speeds. The strongest are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Western Pacific and simply tropical cyclones in the South Pacific.

Sky News Australia Meteorologist Alison Osborne has examined how Tropical Cyclone Alfred is currently tracking as it travels off the Queensland coast.

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred now spinning over the Coral Sea as a category two system and strengthening, many Queensland’s are asking one question: will it hit Queensland?