A man in a bright orange jacket stands in front of a felled tree holding a chainsaw in the rain

Gold Coast acting mayor Donna Gates said nearly 3,000 homes were without power on Thursday afternoon and winds of up to 80km/h had already been recorded. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien

This blog has now ended

Queensland and NSW prepare for 'extremely erratic' Tropical Cyclone Alfred — as it happened

Communities in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW are bracing for a tropical cyclone to hit the area for the first time in more than 50 years, triggering destructive winds and flooding. Here are the latest developments on Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Gold Coast acting mayor Donna Gates said nearly 3,000 homes were without power on Thursday afternoon and winds of up to 80km/h had already been recorded. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien

Published 6 March 2025 5:43am

Updated 6 March 2025 5:51pm

Source: SBS News

The Albanese factor behind Tropical Cyclone Alfred's last-minute name change

Tropical Cyclone Alfred could have been known as Cyclone Anthony, before a switch from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

The bureau maintains an approved list of alphabetical names for cyclones, divided into five sections.

After Zelia finished the previous section of the list, the next scheduled name was Anthony before the BoM swapped to the next A name: Alfred.

"When a name matches a prominent person of the time, we reorder to the next name starting with that same letter to avoid any confusion," a BoM spokesperson told AAP.

Anthony Albanese wearing a blue suit is standing in front of a poster with the words 'State Disaster Coordination Centre' written on it.

The name Anthony has been pushed further down the list, scheduled to be used 41 cyclones after Alfred. Source: AAP / Jono Searle

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked by radio station B105 Brisbane on Wednesday if he had any role in the name change.

"No, look, the names of these things are beyond ... my government didn't legislate on any of those things. I think they just go through a range of names," he said.

After a discussion about the potential confusion that could be caused when frequently addressing the media during a natural disaster, Albanese said: "It does kind of make sense."

The name Anthony has been pushed further down the list, scheduled to be used 41 cyclones after Alfred.

— AAP

13h ago10:01am

What the latest forecasting says about Alfred

Alfred is expected to cross the coast between Maroochydore and Coolangatta on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest forecasting.

In an update issued in the early hours of Thursday, it said the western edge of the category 2 cyclone is "already impacting the coast from about Coolangatta to Ballina".

It currently has winds of 95km/h with gusts of 130km/h recorded.

— Alex Britton

13h ago9:45am

PM praises the 'Australian character' in times of crisis

At the press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the "Australian character" and said all levels of government would be cooperating in recovery efforts.

"At the worst of times, we always see the best of Australian character," he said. "I said yesterday that there were no political parties in this process, and there are no borders. Tropical Cyclone Alfred certainly does not recognise any borders, and nor should the government’s response."

A man in a suit speaking in front of a weather map of Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised "Australian character" during times of crisis. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

He said all levels of government were working together to address the crisis.

"Premier [Chris] Minns and Premier [David] Crisafulli are in lock step as well going forward, as are the three levels of government working together, and through the national coordination mechanism out of here, we are assisting with the coordination as well of the private sector as well as the Commonwealth government response.

"So, that includes supermarkets, telcos, banking, freight companies, are all of the organisations which will play a role first in preparedness, then in dealing with the impact of this cyclone and, thirdly, in the recovery period which will occur."

— Alexandra Koster

14h ago9:15am

Cyclone Alfred now delayed to arrive late Friday evening

Cyclone Alfred is now set to hit the coast later than anticipated, with an estimation that it will reach land on Friday evening or early Saturday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's (BoM) latest update.

It's a slight delay from original estimations, which estimated it would hit the coast overnight on Thursday and into Friday morning.

"The centre of Alfred is expected to cross the coast later Friday or early Saturday, most likely between Maroochydore and Coolangatta," the BOM advised.

The 7:46am AEDT update of Tropical Cyclone Alfred's path, which is set to hit land later than originally anticipated. Source: Supplied / BoM

The areas affected in the latest update include Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in NSW, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina, but excluding Grafton.

"Alfred is a category 2 cyclone, and is forecast to maintain this intensity as it continues to approach the southeast Queensland coast," the update read.

— Alexandra Koster

14h ago8:58am

Gold Coast waves reach 12m

Waves in the Gold Coast are increasing in height as Alfred approaches, with a maximum height of 12.3m recorded three times in the last 24 hours.

Wave height as recorded on the Gold Coast. Credit: Queensland government

— Alex Britton

14h ago8:47am

'We won't leave communities in the lurch', promises NSW premier

NSW Premier Chris Minns has told ABC Breakfast communities in the north of the state are "resilient".
He said: "We hope for the best but we're ready for the worst."

Thousands of homes in Lismore were destroyed or damaged when a record-breaking flood hit the Northern Rivers region in 2022.

Minns said: "We're going to work with councils in the event of a clean-up. We're not going to leave communities in the lurch the day after a storm moves through."

"It's regrettable we've had to work with Northern Rivers communities on a rebuild. We desperately hope it doesn't happen. But we're prepared if it does and we won't leave these communities in the lurch if they need to rebuild in the devastation of a natural weather event."

— Alex Britton

14h ago8:46am

Schools close across Queensland and northern NSW ahead of Cyclone Alfred

School closures have been announced across Queensland and northern NSW due to Cyclone Alfred.

Schools will shut their doors on Thursday, 6 March and Friday, 7 March. It's expected they will reopen on Monday, 10 March.

So far, 663 state schools, 184 independent schools, and 181 Catholic schools have closed in Queensland, with the number expected to rise.

Many early childhood education centres are also set to shut their doors.

Concerned parents are urged to contact their principal or local education officer for updated information about their children's school and classroom arrangements.

To see affected NSW schools

head here,

and to see affected Queensland schools,

head here

.

- Alexandra Koster

14h ago8:23am

Window of crossing has widened, but advice stays the same

Alfred's crossing into land may arrive later than previously forecast — it was previously due on Thursday — but the warnings about its severity remain, Federal Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister said.

She told ABC News Breakfast: "We have been really clear from the outset that there was some uncertainty about the timing of this event and, indeed, the strength of it. But the modelling before us indicates that we can still expect Tropical Cyclone Alfred to cross land and all of the advice at the moment is that we continue to expect a Category 2 cyclone."

"All of our advice essentially to communities remains the same — this is a significant weather system. There are preparations that we need you to undertake now and it is a time when we need you to take care of your friends and families and listen to the guidance from authorities.

"If anything, what I'd say to communities today is that the uncertainty about the window at which the cyclone will cross remains. We do need people to be alert, to be listening to emergency broadcast, to be checking the apps, and just keeping themselves informed of the risks that might confront them over the course of the week."

— Alex Britton

15h ago7:57am

Sandbagging 'chaos' in south-east Queensland

Sandbagging "chaos" erupted at sites in south-east Queensland on Wednesday as people prepared to bunker ahead of the first cyclone to hit the area in over 50 years.

The huge demand prompted the Brisbane City Council to open more sites on Wednesday, with the federal government pledging an extra 250,000 sandbags for the region.

Local MP Russell Field (centre) helped residents fill their sandbags ahead of the cyclone. Source: AAP / Savannah Meacham

Local Liberal National Party MP Russell Field said he arrived at a sandbagging site in Capalaba on Wednesday hoping to get enough to safeguard his home ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred's arrival. He ended up staying to help others as they battled to shovel sand.

A council worker said it had been "chaos" all morning, running out of bags with traffic jams in the car park.

— AAP

15h ago7:43am

Cruise ship passengers to have three extra days at sea

Passengers onboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship are set to have an extra three days at sea because of Cyclone Alfred.

The boat, which was due to dock in Brisbane on Friday, will now remain at sea and return on Monday.

"Due to the development of the storm and the closure of the Port of Brisbane, we have decided to remain at sea and safely away from the storm," passengers were told on the ship, according to a video on X. "We expect to return to Brisbane on Monday instead of Friday."

Royal Caribbean has also cancelled its three-night cruise on the Quantum of the Seas, which was set to leave on Saturday.

"Due to the development of the storm and the closure of the Port of Brisbane, the previous Quantum of the Seas sailing has been delayed returning to port, and as a result, our 3-Night sailing has unfortunately been cancelled," an email sent to guests read.

Several other cruises have been called off, including Carnival Luminosa's three-day cruise, as the ship has to remain in the South Pacific.

Other ships have diverted away from Brisbane and will be porting in Cairns, Airlie Beach, and Yorkey's Knob in northern Queensland.

— Alexandra Koster

15h ago7:36am

The latest update on Alfred's path

A map showing the forecast path of Cyclone Alfred.

The latest forecast path shows the centre of Alfred is expected to cross the coast during Friday. Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

15h ago7:36am

Treasurer expecting 'billions of dollars' in damage from Alfred

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, whose electorate includes Logan, spoke about the expected scale of the damage from Alfred.

He told ABC News Breakfast: "There's a lot of people in harm's way here. We're talking about something like 4.5 million Australians potentially in harm's way, 1.8 million homes, and we expect there'll be billions of dollars of damage done by Cyclone Alfred."

"The best we can do is prepare and stay informed, make sure that people are accessing all of the relevant information and getting it from trusted sources. But it's going to be a difficult couple of days."

— Alex Britton

16h ago6:55am

'Hours' left to prepare, warns SES

People in parts of northern NSW "only have hours" to relocate or evacuate, SES deputy commissioner Debbie Platz has warned.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, she said: "People really need to heed the advice, get up early today and start preparing their homes."

This includes sandbagging, tying loose items from outside, moving cars from under trees, and checking on neighbours and friends, she said.

"Once the winds pick up, it will be incredibly difficult for you to relocate or evacuate. We need you to relocate and evacuate now."

— Alex Britton

16h ago6:33am

Tropical Cyclone Alfred: Here's what we know so far

When is it likely to cross the coast?

Alfred is expected to cross the coast between Maroochydore and Coolangatta on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest forecasting.
In an update issued in the early hours of Thursday, it said the western edge of the category 2 cyclone is "already impacting the coast from about Coolangatta to Ballina".
It currently has winds of 95km/h with gusts of 130km/h recorded.
It is forecast to bring daily rainfall totals between 200mm and 400mm from Thursday to Saturday, likely leading to "life-threatening" flooding.

Which communities are expected to be impacted?

The cyclone warning zone spans Double Island Point, Queensland to Grafton, NSW, with Brisbane, the Gold Coast and hinterland to cop the brunt of strong winds.
The cyclone's arrival will likely coincide with high tide in Queensland, possibly impacting 20,000 properties in Brisbane, almost 5,000 on the Sunshine Coast and 6,000 on the Gold Coast.
Almost 200 swift water-rescue personnel are on standby along with 1,000 energy crews.
Australian Defence Force assistance has been activated with helicopters deployed to Bundaberg and Coffs Harbour.
Evacuation centres will open across Queensland's south-east and northern NSW.

What services have been affected?

Public transport in the south-east is suspended from Wednesday night.
No vessels are permitted on the water until further notice, the Brisbane Regional Harbour Master warns.
More than 500 schools to close in Queensland and 250 in Northern NSW.
South-east major roads and bridges to close once winds reach 90km/h.
Elective surgeries will be suspended from Thursday, with south-east Queensland residents urged to stay at home over the coming days.
State-federal disaster assistance has been activated for 12 local government areas.
An emergency childcare declaration has allowed for support to services and families in 15 cyclone-impacted local government areas.

— Alex Britton, Cecilia Lindgren

17h ago6:12am

Tropical Cyclone Alfred entering 'second phase'

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli urged residents on Wednesday afternoon to prepare their properties and finalise evacuation plans.

"There is the prospect that this cyclone could cross the coast in the middle of the night with a high tide, and that is not the time to be making your evacuation plan," Crisafulli said. "Now is that time."

He said the "second phase" of the cyclone was coming, bringing with it "damaging and destructive winds" that will come when the "cyclone crosses the coast".

Crisafulli signalled there would likely be power outages, but contractors were on standby to "get power connected as quickly as we can".

Evacuation centres have been set up in

Queensland

, but Crisafulli stressed they were intended for vulnerable community members.

"Our overwhelming advice to people is if it is possible to go and stay with a mate or a family member — or even if you do have the means and the capacity to go to a hotel — it is a far better option than an evacuation centre.

"But they are there for people who are vulnerable and who might be new to the area and don't have another option."

— Gabrielle Katanasho

17h ago6:10am

Welcome to our Thursday coverage of Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Parts of Queensland and northern NSW are preparing for the Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which is expected to cross the coast on Friday.

SBS News will be covering all the latest updates and warnings.

— Jessica Bahr