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.

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

Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened into a tropical low Saturday as it neared Brisbane, Australia, bringing heavy rain and flooding risks to the region, according to officials. Initially expected to make landfall as the first cyclone to strike southeast Queensland since 1974, Alfred's winds dropped to under 39 mph (63 kph) as it shifted inland.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred was 65 kilometres north northeast of Brisbane and 45 kilometres south southeast of Maroochydore at 6am this morning.

Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred has been downgraded to a tropical low, as it approaches Australia’s eastern coast. Although the speed at which Alfred is travelling has slowed, Brisbane locals have been sent a stark warning of what might be to come.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred made landfall at about 8pm AEST on Saturday evening, and is now pushing inland, producing relentless heavy rain as it goes.

A slow-moving tropical storm crossed islands off Australia’s heavily populated eastern coast late Friday, lashing coastal suburbs with destructive winds and dumping heavy rain across the region.

The former tropical cyclone lay about 65 kilometers off the coast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane, government forecasters said in a final update. Now without gale-force winds, the storm was slowly moving toward the coast and delivering intense rain before it was expected to cross over the mainland later in the day.

Millions have been told to hunker down as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred heads towards the coast where hundreds of thousands of residents have lost power.

Cyclone Alfred weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday after crossing islands off Australia’s eastern coast. Flood is now considered to be the biggest risk.