People are being told to “get out now” as Australia’s southeastern coast braces for a rare landfall of a tropical cyclone, churning towards Queensland and prompting warnings across two states.
Alfred, classified as a Category 1 system on Monday, is intensifying off Queensland’s coast and is expected to be one of the most destructive in the region in decades.
The cyclone is forecast to strengthen to a Category 2 system early morning on Tuesday, before making landfall between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast late Thursday or early Friday.
If Alfred makes landfall as projected, it will be the first cyclone to directly impact Brisbane since Nancy in 1990.
Alfred is about 450km northeast of Brisbane, moving southwest at 20kmph, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Communities from Sandy Cape south to Grafton, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay, are in the watch zone and millions of people across Queensland and New South Wales are being urged to prepare for the worst.
While Queensland is in the cyclone’s path, New South Wales is expected to experience gale force winds over the next two days.
More than 700 mm of rain could inundate parts of southeast Queensland and northeast NSW later this week as Tropical Cyclone Alfred makes landfall over a densely populated stretch of Australia’s east coast. https://t.co/02pqygr9CV pic.twitter.com/AGtvLofT8b
— Weatherzone (@weatherzone) March 3, 2025
Alfred is bringing dangerous conditions to southeast Queensland and northern NSW. “We are expecting very heavy rainfall, particularly along the coast,” senior meteorologist Laura Buchan said. “Strong winds and large waves will also create hazardous surf conditions and we could see some coastal erosion.
Steven Bernasconi, manager of hazard preparedness at the Bureau of Meteorology, said the forecast is “unusual”. “We do not often have tropical cyclone watches and warnings in the NSW jurisdiction,” he said.
Forecasts indicate potential rainfall of 300-600mm, with some areas possibly receiving up to 700mm. Wind gusts are expected to exceed 120kmph, accompanied by large waves that may lead to coastal erosion and flooding.
Queensland premier David Crisafulli urged residents to “please be prepared” and ready “canned food and bottled water”. “It is important that people take the event seriously, they stay up to date with warnings,” he said.
“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.”
Feeling sick to my stomach about Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaching SE QLD. Around 4 million people live in this area. Buildings this far south are not built to withstand cyclones. How much do we need to lose before we take climate change seriously?https://t.co/cXSD9gbpq4 pic.twitter.com/89QvJO6CQO
— Joelle Gergis (@joellegergis) March 2, 2025
Authorities in flood-prone areas have issued evacuation warnings ahead of the cyclone's arrival, particularly in low-lying areas.
Shane Chelepy, the state disaster coordinator, warned island communities east of Brisbane to leave now or “it will be too late”.
Authorities have suspended all CityCat and ferry services in Brisbane until further notice and people have been warned to avoid unnecessary travel.
