Cyclone Alfred latest: Rare Category 2 storm nears Australian coast as millions face ‘worst-case scenario'
People on the projected path of Cyclone Alfred have been asked to "act now" and leave before the situation gets worse as the Category 2 storm barrels towards Australia 's southeastern coast.
Alfred is now about 345km east of Brisbane and 315km east of the Gold Coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). It is moving towards the southeast Queensland coast at 16kph.
There's a concern that Alfred could slow down to 11kph, which could make it 'worst case scenario', Higgins Storm Chasing's Thomas Hinterdorfer told The Courier-Mail.
The storm is expected to make landfall on Thursday or Friday between north of Brisbane bringing more than half a metre of rain, flooding and destructive winds.
Alfred is the first cyclone to directly impact Brisbane since Nancy in 1990.
'We're dealing with a very heavily populated part of the state, a state that hasn't seen a cyclone for many years, in fact, many decades, get this close to the coast,' Queensland premier David Crisafulli said.
Cyclone Alfred path and forecast
A new map from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) shows Cyclone Alfred is now about 345km east of Brisbane and 315km east of the Gold Coast.
It is moving towards the southeast Queensland coast at a speed of 16kph.
Alfred is a category 2 cyclone, and is forecast to maintain this intensity as it approaches the southeast Queensland coast on Thursday.
Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Friday morning, most likely between Maroochydore and Coolangatta, according to the BoM.
Stuti Mishra5 March 2025 04:12
'By tomorrow, it will be too late'
Officials are asking people to "act now" and leave before the situation gets worse.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is "not just a rain event" but "multiple wind events," warned Mike Wassing, commissioner of the New South Wales State Emergency Service.
"If you're living directly on the coast and you know where your high tide is, you will see water potentially half a metre above that high tide mark," the NSW SES commissioner says.
"You will potentially and very likely have winds impacting your location in excess of 100kmph. If you do not feel safe in that location now is the time to relocate."
Stuti Mishra5 March 2025 03:25
Evacuation ordered as cyclone swirls towards Brisbane
Australia's east coast is bracing for a tropical cyclone that is swirling towards Brisbane, the country's third-most populous city.
Authorities warned thousands of properties were at risk due to strong winds and flash flooding.
"If you're told to leave, you should leave. I can't be more blunt than that," Queensland premier David Crisafulli told ABC News, calling on residents to heed evacuation orders.
Destructive wind gusts of up to 155kph (96 mph) are expected to develop from Thursday afternoon as tropical cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast as a category-two storm early on Friday morning near Queensland state capital Brisbane, Australia's weather bureau said.
Shweta Sharma5 March 2025 03:04
Cruise ships change course as Cyclone Alfred looms
Cunard's Queen Anne, which left Sydney on 1 March for her 2025 inaugural world cruise, skipped Brisbane and sailed directly to Airlie Beach, and arrived on Tuesday.
She will continue as planned to Cairns on 6 March and spend an extra night in Darwin on 10 March before proceeding to Indonesia.
Norwegian Cruise Line have also cancelled stops on the way to Cairns, so that their ships will now sail directly.
Steffie Banatvala5 March 2025 02:30
Cyclone disrupts several Australian sporting events
Cyclone Alfred has led to the cancellation of a golf event and prompted the Australian Football League (AFL) to postpone season-opening matches.
Golf officials called off the Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned WPGA Championship event on the Gold Coast amid forecasts for extreme wind and flooding.
The AFL, the top flight of Australian Rules football, has postponed two matches in southern Queensland, including Thursday's season-opener in Brisbane between the reigning champion Brisbane Lions and Geelong Cats.
Soccer governing body Football Queensland suspended all training and games in the state's southeast on Wednesday.
Other sporting events were called off, including national championships of touch football in New South Wales.
Steffie Banatvala5 March 2025 01:30
Intense rain and life-threatening flash-flooding: latest warning
Cyclone Alfred could bring intense rainfall and life-threatening flash-flooding to the southeast of Queensland state and the northeast of New South Wales state, the Bureau of Meteorology said in its latest update.
Steffie Banatvala5 March 2025 00:30
Thousands flee homes as Alfred changes its course
Thousands of Queensland residents have fled their homes as Cyclone Alfred intensified to a category two system.
Alfred changed its course towards the south-east Queensland coast.
The tropical cyclone is due to make landfall north of the city late Thursday or early Friday.
It's predicted to bring major flooding, rain and destructive winds of up to 130kmh.
Steffie Banatvala4 March 2025 23:30
Explained: how to read tropical cyclone warning maps
Steffie Banatvala4 March 2025 22:30
Mapped: Cyclone Alfred's path
Steffie Banatvala4 March 2025 21:31
Cyclones caused by warm sea temperatures and weak wind shear: experts
Meteorologists point to warm sea surface temperatures and weak wind shear as contributing factors to stronger storms in recent years.
Both of these may be linked to La Nina weather phenomenon, AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls explained.
A marine heat wave near Western Australia has lasted since September 2024, with unusually high sea surface temperatures in late February.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicted more severe tropical cyclones in the South Pacific this season as oceans were warmer than expected.
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Daily Mail
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The Guardian
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Wintery long weekend to deliver snowy start to Australia's ski season
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Time Out
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Australia's ski seasons are melting away – and could disappear completely by 2050
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