Millions of residents along Australia’s eastern coast are bracing for the arrival of a very slow-moving storm, the strongest tropical cyclone to threaten the region in more than 50 years. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall early Saturday with the strength of an Atlantic tropical storm.

Thousands of residents in eastern Australia were ordered to evacuate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred's heavy rains and powerful winds blast two states ahead of it's expected landfall near Brisbane, the country's third-largest city.

The tropical cyclone was moving west with sustained winds near the center of 95 kph (59 mph) and gusting to 130 kph (81 mph). But the storm was expected to weaken as it approached Brisbane, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.