TROPICAL cyclone Gabrielle is unlikely to make landfall in Queensland however Norfolk Island has declared a cyclone watch.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, while cyclone Gabrielle won't touch down in Queensland, it will produce hazardous coastal conditions for parts of Queensland and NSW.
After being named on Wednesday, Cyclone Gabrielle has been upgraded from a category one to a category two cyclone.
As a result, a tropical cyclone watch has been announced for Norfolk Island and is likely to be in place for the coming days.
"The cyclone is forecast to track towards Norfolk Island from Friday night bringing possible heavy rain, damaging winds, large waves and swell depending on its track," Bureau forecaster Jonathon How said.
"It is expected that heavy rain, abnormally high tides, large waves and destructive winds with gusts ranging up to 140 km an hour are expected to develop on Saturday morning and potentially persist into Sunday."
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From there, the Bureau expects the system will weaken as it moves south towards New Zealand.
For the rest of the state, the Bureau is predicting warm weather to return heading into and over the weekend with some parts of Queensland and NSW expected to be six to 12 degrees warmer than average.
As a result, Queenslanders are being urged to prepare for heatwave conditions.
"With this heat, we will see low to high-intensity heatwave conditions develop in parts of NSW and Queensland," Mr How said.
"Communities right across Australia should stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings on the Bureau's website or weather app and as always, follow all advice from local emergency services."
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