Isla Fisher is one of several million experiencing the calm before the storm.
The Australian actress is currently in south east Queensland, a corridor that’s bracing for Cyclone Alfred, the first weather event of its kind to hit these parts in half a century.
The 49-year-old silver screen actor and former “Home And Away” star shared a string of Instagram posts as she waited for the fireworks.
“Hunkered down waiting for the cyclone,” she wrote on Instagram Stories.
Earlier, Fisher, who has been filming “Spa Weekend” on the Gold Coast, and appears in the latest edition to the “Bridget Jones” franchise, “Mad About the Boy”, posted images of a brooding sky over the ocean.
Alfred, currently a Category 2 storm, has slowed significantly as it heads inland, where it’s expected to bring heavy rain, flash flooding, storm surges and destructive wind gusts, according to an update from the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Bureau’s modelling suggests the system could make landfall about 10pm on Friday, Queensland time. In the meantime, live music venues are closed, sporting events postponed or moved, while public transport, major roads and airports are all offline.
“There’s potentially four and a half million people in harm’s way. That’s about 1.8 million homes,” says federal treasurer Jim Chalmers. “And we’re expecting billions of dollars of damage.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns urged Northern Rivers residents to prepare for flooding, a ritual locals are now well trained for.
Casualties of the cyclone include the Courteneers’ Brisbane show at The Tivoli on Saturday, scheduled dates by Alexisonfire and Underoath, Ziggy Alberts’ weekend shows, New Bloom Festival, and Green Day’s concert, originally booked for Wednesday night on the Gold Coast.
Meanwhile, hip-hop star and Hollywood heavyweight Ice Cube is currently holed-up in a high-rise on the Gold Coast. The US artist is currently on tour in Australia, and is scheduled to perform in Sydney on Friday and Melbourne on Sunday.
Cyclones, also known as hurricanes or typhoons, form over warm water and break down once hitting landfall. Australia’s cyclone season runs from November to April, with around 11 cyclones forming each year, according to the CSIRO, though rarely as far south as the Gold Coast.