WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australia's prime minister cautioned that the fallout from a vicious tropical storm over the weekend was “far from over” as parts of two states remained inundated with perilous floodwaters on Monday, even as the initial threat from the deluge continued to recede.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred, an unusually southern storm for Australia’s east coast, took a surprising turn toward land, putting Brisbane and nearby areas at risk. Though not the strongest cyclone on record,

Australia's east coast has been pounded by rain, wind and surf for a week, with Brisbane recording its highest daily rainfall in half a century.

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Tropical cyclone Alfred is a reminder that powerful storms have the power to show up in some surprising places.

Former Tropical Cyclone Alfred continued to dump heavy rain across large parts of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) while moving inland, inundating roads and leaving tens of thousands of households without power as hundreds of schools remained shut, local media reported Monday.

Significant damage and power outages are possible in the densely populated region of Queensland, where tropical cyclones impacts are not uncommon but direct landfalls are.