March has kicked off in a rather dramatic way, with a category two cyclone currently brewing off Australia’s east coast. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is due to hit southern Queensland and the northern end of NSW from Tuesday, March 4. Here’s what we know so far.
Weather systems are constantly evolving, but as it stands, it looks like Alfred could be pretty intense – with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warning of “damaging wind gusts to 120 kilometres per hour” and “heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding”.
As of lunchtime on Monday, March 3, the BoM has announced a watch zone from Sandy Cape (the most northern tip of Queensland’s K’gari – also known as Fraser Island) down the coast – including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay (as far as, but not including, Grafton).
At this point, the cyclone is sitting off the coast of Maroochydore in Queensland, with sustained winds reaching 85 kilometres per hour in the centre, and gusts reaching 120 kilometres per hour. While its impact is limited while it’s at sea, the BoM is predicting that “severe coastal hazards, including abnormally high tides and hazardous surf” will worsen as the cyclone approaches the coast.
Along with the dangerous sea conditions, the storm is likely to bring heavy rainfall to the south of the system, with flood warnings in place for potential flash flooding on the northern NSW coast.
Although it’s currently categorised as a category one cyclone, Alfred is expected to increase in intensity, with the BoM predicting it will develop into a category two cyclone overnight and remain as a category two until Thursday.
While these kinds of tropical storms are relatively common for Queensland, it’s much less common for them to reach as far south as NSW. You can keep an eye on the cyclone here, check for associated warnings here and learn more about cyclone preparedness and safety advice here. For emergency assistance or help with storm damage, rising flood water or fallen trees, contact the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500.