South East Queensland and northern NSW are in it for the long haul with ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, forecasters have warned, with severe weather and flood warnings still in place for large parts of the east coast.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has spent the night creeping towards Queensland’s coast and northern NSW. Despite authorities downgrading the cyclone to a tropical low early Saturday morning, locals have been warned not to be complacent with serious flooding risk remaining despite wind speeds slowing down.

Hundreds of thousands of residents in northern NSW are anxiously waiting for the full impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, as rescue teams continue their search for a man washed away in floodwaters.

Millions of residents along Australia’s eastern coast are bracing for the arrival of a very slow-moving storm, the most southerly tropical cyclone to threaten the region in more than 50 years.

The first cyclone in 50 years to cross the southeast coast of Australia still carries risks of intense rainfall and flooding, stretching inland from the battered coastline.