Tropical Cyclone Alfred's approach was coloured by slow, suspenseful movement. Here's how the weather event and emergency response unfolded.

Cyclone Alfred weakened into a tropical low Saturday but still threatened to unleash major floods on swollen rivers as it approached the rain and wind-lashed eastern coast of Australia.

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.