March 8 (UPI) -- Tropical storm Alfred could cause significant flooding in eastern Australia despite the slowly moving storm no longer being a cyclone.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday cautioned Australians "worse" is yet to come from the storm system that is pummeling Australia's eastern coast on Saturday.
The storm system has impacted parts of Queensland and New South Wales with high winds and downpours that are expected to cause significant flooding in eastern Australia, Sky News reported.
"We must remain vigilant," Albanese said Saturday morning. "This is a very serious weather event."
Albanese said the storm's impact "will be serious and will intensify" throughout the day Saturday and over coming days with "strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and dangerous conditions."
"Now is the time to remain alert, stay inside and look after each other," he said.
At least one death due to the storm has been confirmed when a flooding caused by a swollen river near Dorrigo, New South Wales, killed a 61-year-old man, local police said on Saturday.
Albanese confirmed the death in a social media post.
"Tragic news out of New South Wales this evening with confirmation a man has died in floodwaters near Dorrigo," Albanese said Saturday in a post on X.
"Our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this heartbreaking time."
The storm system would have been the first cyclone to impact Australia's east coast since 1974 but weakened to a tropical storm with sustained winds of less than 39 mph near Queensland on Saturday.
The storm system stalled off the coast of Brisbane for several hours on Saturday, but tracking indicates it will move westward across Australia's mainland over the coming days and inundate areas with heavy rainfall amounts.
High winds from the storm system have blown over trees, downed power lines and damaged properties.
The storm also has eroded iconic sandy beaches along Australia's Gold Coast and turned them into sandy cliffs over several days.
The storm system's slow pace makes flooding its greatest potential danger, CNN reported.
"The rivers are full [and] the rain is continuing and expected to keep falling in the days ahead," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said.
"Wind conditions are very high and extreme,particularly on the coast, particularly in the Byron Shire right up to the Queensland border."