Tropical Cyclone Alfred Australia: Schools closed as rare storm approaches eastern coast with gusts already reaching 56mph
Alfred is expected to become the first cyclone to cross the coast near Brisbane since Cyclone Zoe hit Gold Coast in 1974 and brought widespread flooding.
Early wind and rain from a rare tropical cyclone began lashing parts of eastern Australia on Thursday. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to cross the Queensland state coast somewhere between the Sunshine Coast region and the city of Gold Coast to the south early on Saturday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said.
Between the two tourist strips is the state capital Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city which will host the 2032 Olympic Games. Mr Collopy told reporters in Brisbane: “The wind impacts, we’re already seeing those start to develop on the exposed locations along our coast with gusts reaching 80 to 90kph (50 to 56mph). We are expecting those to continue to develop”.
Cyclones are common in Queensland’s tropical north but are rare in the state’s temperate and densely populated southeast corner that borders the state of New South Wales. More than four million people lie in the cyclone’s path.
Alfred was 170 miles east of Brisbane and moving west on Thursday with sustained winds near the centre of 95kph (59mph) and gusting to 130kph (81mph), Mr Collopy said. The storm is expected to maintain its wind strength before hitting land.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said 660 schools in southern Queensland and 280 schools in northern New South Wales were closed on Thursday as weather conditions worsen. The federal government had delivered 310,000 sandbags to Brisbane and more were on the way, Mr Albanese said. “My message to people, whether they be in southeast Queensland or northern New South Wales, is we are there to support you. We have your back,” he told reporters in the national capital Canberra.
Brisbane streets were largely empty of traffic and supermarket shelves had been stripped bare of basics including bread, milk, bottled water and batteries. Public transport in the area was stopped from Thursday and hospitals were limited to performing emergency surgeries until the danger had passed.
Strong winds had cut power to 4,500 homes and businesses in northern New South Wales on Thursday, officials said. Rivers were rising across the region due to rain and emergency teams were preparing to start evacuating people from low-lying areas on the New South Wales side of the border.