One man died in floodwaters, the authorities said, and over 330,000 customers were without power in South East Queensland.

Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred lingered off the south-east Australian coast on Saturday and forecasters said Brisbane is likely to miss the worst of the storm, a relief for millions of residents in the region who have been staying indoors.

Alfred is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane, the capital of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city.