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 is inching closer to the Queensland coast, bringing intense winds and wild surf. The system remains over the Coral Sea, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting strong to gale-force winds across the southern Great Barrier Reef Islands and extending to K'gari this weekend.

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.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to inch closer to the Queensland coast from today bringing severe hazards including abnormally high tides and gale-force winds.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to continue to weaken over the weekend. The storm is expected to make a turn and move close to Queensland's coast, bringing rainfall to areas from Rockhampton to Bundaberg,

Story by Caitlin Powell For Daily Mail Australia and Savannah Meacham For Aap • 23m. 1 / 10 ©Weatherzone