Tropical Cyclone Alfred is continuing to intensify and is beginning to turn to the south, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The system has been growing in strength since last week and is now a category 2.

The tropical cyclone is likely to get even stronger, likely reaching category 3 by tonight, the bureau said this morning.

The bureau has been monitoring Tropical Cyclone Alfred since it formed off the Far North Queensland coast on Sunday.

Its strength has grown as it moved south over the Coral Sea.

Alfred is about 950km north-east of Mackay and 1000km east-northeast of Townsville.

The BoM said it is currently slow-moving.

Alfred has been tracking in a roughly eastward direction for the last few days, but the cyclone is set to make a southward turn later today.

The BoM is highly confident that it will stay away from the Queensland coast in the middle of this week.

“Beyond that, the track becomes highly uncertain and there is a risk it will move closer to the central Queensland coast over the weekend,” it said.

Currently, the cyclone’s impact on Queensland weather is limited to gusty winds.

The bureau issued strong wind warnings for coastal waters on coastal areas for Townsville and Mackay, the Capricorn coast and Fraser Island for today and tomorrow.