For many, Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be their first experience of a cyclone.
There's been a lot of talk about what to do to prepare for the storm before it arrives, but what should you do as it's happening?
Here's what you need to know.
Stay inside
You might be tempted to go out to look at what's happening, but you really have to stay indoors.
That's because, even though it might look calm, a sudden gust of wind might pick up something left lying around and send it flying through the air.
Loose items picked up by cyclonic winds can become fast-moving projectiles and cause significant injury if they hit you.
"Even a brief step outside puts you at risk, and emergency services may not be able to assist if conditions worsen," the Queensland government's cyclone website warns.
Gather in the strongest room in your house
This will depend what your place is like.
Look for a small room with small or no windows.
This might be:
- a bathroom,
- a hallway
- a pantry
- a walk-in wardrobe
If you don't have a room like this where you are, go into the most solid corner of your home, furthest from the direction the wind is travelling.
If your home is damaged, you may have to take cover under a mattress, heavy table, or sturdy furniture for extra protection — so have that in mind.
Stay away from windows
Windows can break in the storm, which could mean broken glass and flying debris.
Close your curtains or blinds.
Should I tape my windows?
You might have seen a bunch of people on social media sticking tape in an X formation over their windows — but the Queensland government says don't do this.
"While this may seem like a protective measure, it can actually create larger shards of glass if the window breaks, making it more dangerous," the Queensland Government says.
Instead, the state government recommended taping plastic sheeting on the inside of the window to stop water coming in.
It also says you can stick strong adhesive tape along the edges of the window, securing it to the frame.
Conserve energy on your phone
You may need to call for help, so avoid using your phone unless absolutely necessary.
For this reason, try to avoid using your phone light as a torch if you can.
Taking photos and filming videos can use up a phone's battery faster, so keep that in mind if you need to record anything.
Close all apps that chew through a lot of battery.
Keep food and water handy
Try to stay in the safest room in your house, so make sure you have water and some snacks nearby.
You don't want to be running to the kitchen to prepare a meal during the storm.
Why should I fill my bath tub?
So you have an emergency supply of clean drinking water in case your water is cut off.
But if you have young children or pets in the house, this might create a drowning hazard.
So either make sure you keep kids and pets away from the water or keep the tub empty and fill up a bunch of water bottles or containers with water instead.
Brace yourself for noise
The storm will be loud, so prepare yourself and any children you're sheltering with for that.
There will probably be a lot of banging, howling winds and possibly thunderclaps happening as the storm moves inland.
This will quieten down when the eye of the storm passes, but brace yourself for it start up again.
"It can be a very sudden shock that the winds just rapidly scream back up again," James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station chief engineer David Henderson said.
Keep children calm
If you've got little ones in the house, it's really important to keep them calm.
Talk to them about the weather conditions and help them understand what's happening to ease their nerves.
A good way to do this is to check the Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] website or app and talk them through what the radar images mean.
You can download the BOM app here by scrolling to the bottom of the page and tapping either the "Download on the App Store" or "Get it on Google Play" depending on whether your phone uses an iPhone or Android software.
Here's a list of things Queensland Health recommends you can do to help children feel calm:
- Speak calmly
- Try to appear cheerful and relaxed
- Talk, cuddle and read a story together
- Play games
- Sing songs
- Talk about people who helped the last time there was "big weather"
- Talk about what causes weather conditions to occur
Queensland Health also has an online library of kid-friendly picture books that help children visualise and learn what to expect in weather events.
Click on the links below to read the books online:
[youtube birdie and the cyclone]How long does a cyclone last?
It could take "a few hours" to pass, Dr Henderson told ABC News earlier on Thursday.
"This event is going to be moving very slowly," he said.
"We're going to be under severe winds that are forecast to be hanging around for several hours."
How do I stay up to date with the cyclone?
You can head to the ABC Emergency website for all updates, including a map of all the warnings.
We'll be live-blogging as the cyclone tracks closer to the coast, so stay across the ABC News website.
And ABC Emergency will broadcast regular warnings on ABC Radio, which you can stream on the ABC Listen App.
Here are the radio frequencies for local stations:
- Brisbane: 612AM
- Gold Coast: 91.7FM
- Grafton: 738 AM
- Murwillumbah: 720 AM
- NSW North Coast Richmond and Tweed: 94.5 FM
- Sunshine Coast: 90.3FM, 95.3FM or 1566AM
- Wide Bay: 855AM, 100.1FM, 88.3FM
What is the structure of a cyclone?
Cyclones are essentially big, violent wind and rain systems.
They are made up of three main sections:
- the eye
- the eyewall
- rainbands
The eye sits in the very centre, where conditions are somewhat calm in comparison to the rest of the system.
The eye is usually about 40 kilometres wide, but can range anywhere from 10 to 100 kilometres, the BOM says.
If the eye passes over your area, you might notice winds drop off and clear skies.
It's surrounded by an eyewall — a symmetrical ring of thunderstorms, where the wind is strongest.
Then, on the outside, are curved rainbands that extend out from the eyewall into a spiral.
Because of the way cyclones are structured, it's common to experience lulls in the high winds and rain.
But even if conditions seem calm, they can change rapidly.
Have you been affected by Cyclone Alfred? We want to hear your story
