A police officer pointing out to the ocean as people watch on.

A police officer patrols the beach on the Gold Coast on Friday. Source: Getty / Asanka Ratnayake

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Australia

Thousands without power as Cyclone Alfred's 'severe impacts' felt ahead of crossing — as it happened

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early on Saturday morning.

A police officer pointing out to the ocean as people watch on.

A police officer patrols the beach on the Gold Coast on Friday. Source: Getty / Asanka Ratnayake

Published 7 March 2025 6:36am
Updated 7 March 2025 3:55pm
Source: SBS News

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1 month ago7 Mar 5:14pm
Thank you for joining our live coverage
Here are the key updates as we close off our live blog for today:
  • Speaking to the ABC late on Friday afternoon, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How said Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coast early on Saturday morning
  • He urged people not to pay too much attention to the exact timing because "you will see severe impacts" well before that
  • How said rain and wind would build across the tropical cyclone warning zone, first for northern NSW and then the Gold Coast and Brisbane
  • As Alfred's crossing nears, How said there would be "very heavy rainfall and destructive winds" around the southern flank of the cyclone", and a "very dangerous storm tide coming through and causing more erosion"
  • "Significant impacts" would continue at the point of crossing and "well after that", How said
  • Some 46,000 properties are without power in Queensland, almost all of which are on the Gold Coast. In northern NSW, more than 38,000 homes and businesses are without power
  • You can find the latest warnings from the
    NSW SES here
    . For Queensland, they can be
    found here
A map showing the predicted path of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred's predicted path as at 4.08pm on Friday. Source: Supplied

Thank you for joining our live blog today; we will continue our coverage of Tropical Cyclone Alfred over the weekend.

— David Aidone
1 month ago7 Mar 11:34am
Coles to close Brisbane stores after midday, with other locations closing soon or already shut
Coles stores in Brisbane will close at either 12pm or 2pm Friday (varying by store), with Sunshine Coast locations to close at 4pm.

Remaining northern NSW locations are closing mid-afternoon Friday, including Ballina, Goonellabah and Casino at midday and Grafton, South Grafton and Yamba at 4pm.

Stores in Alstonville, Banora Point, Casuarina, the Gold Coast, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Ocean Shores, Tweed City and Tweed Heads have already closed.

Some stores may have already closed due to staff availability, a Coles spokesperson said.
Empty shelves in the meat section of a supermarket
Stock in a Coles supermarket on the Gold Coast was already limited on Thursday. Credit: Alexandra Jones/SBS
"As Cyclone Alfred gets closer, we have made the decision to begin closing our stores in highly impacted areas. This will ensure our team have time to get home while it is still safe," the spokesperson said.

— Veronica Lenard
1 month ago7 Mar 11:21am
BoM moves to hourly updates
The Bureau of Meteorology is now moving to hourly updates on the progress of Cyclone Alfred.

The most recent update shows that it remains as a category 2 cyclone and is forecast to maintain this intensity as it approaches the coast, with impacts expected to increase this evening.

"Rainfall, wind and ocean impacts are likely to persist today and over the weekend," the update read.

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 10:54am
Residents urged to prepare for days without power
With power outages already hitting parts of Queensland and NSW, authorities have urged residents to prepare adequately.

How to prepare for losing power:
  • Make sure your phone and devices are charged.
  • Make sure there are fresh batteries in your torch.
  • Have a backup power bank, if available.
  • Set aside 10 litres of water per person for three days' worth of washing, bathing and drinking.
NSW Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson added that it may be days until power is restored in some regions.

"Over 35,000 people are already without power," she said. "As soon as it's safe, they'll have people back out repairing the infrastructure."

"But that is not going to be the case for a few days."

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 10:52am
Some Woolworths stores set to close early in impacted communities
Some Woolworths stores in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are open this morning, but will close early to allow staff to travel home safely.

"While we’re working to keep as many stores open as possible, some items may be missing from the shelves as trucking services begin to be reduced ahead of the cyclone," a Woolworths spokesperson said.

"We are taking steps to ensure we’re ready to open stores and restock shelves when it is safe to do so.
A man in a supermarket with empty shelves
Many supermarkets are out of stock due to the cyclone. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
"Our distribution centres in the region have been receiving additional stock which will be delivered to stores once it is safe to do so and stores have reopened."

Stores are set to reopen based on the access, staff availability and advice of authorities, according to the spokesperson. The supermarket group recommended customers check its website for updated opening hours.

— Veronica Lenard
1 month ago7 Mar 10:50am
More than 43,000 homes and businesses without power
In its
latest update,
Essential Energy said more than 43,000 homes and businesses are now without power in NSW. At this stage, the largest impacts are in communities between Tweed Heads and Yamba.

It said customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days due to the severity of the damage to the network, the amount of vegetation debris and the locations of flood waters.

Essential Energy said crews had been stood down for safety reasons with no work to restart until the weather caused by cyclone Alfred has passed.

— Jessica Bahr
1 month ago7 Mar 10:29am
'Do not drive through floodwaters', says NSW SES
NSW SES Commissioner Michael Wassing says there are 23 emergency warnings issued in NSW across Tweed Heads, Fingal Heads, down to Lismore and as far south as Port Macquarie.

He warned residents to not drive through or enter floodwaters.
"Over the last three days, we've seen close to 3,000 incidents and in the last 24 hours, 1,100 incidents — most around preparedness activities, but we are starting to see flood rescues where emergency services, SES volunteers, fire rescue and ambulance and other emergency services needing to respond to people driving into floodwaters."

"I can't be clearer — do not drive through floodwaters."

NSW Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson added: "This is not the time to go for a swim or a surf. This is not the time to go for an unnecessary drive. Listen to the advice of emergency services."

- Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 10:26am
'Boots and boats on the ground' in Lismore, says local MP
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin spoke to ABC Radio National Breakfast earlier this morning about her evacuation.

"I understand how hard it can be, because you are not just leaving behind your shelter, you are sort of leaving your life behind," she said.

Saffin said she received calls from several residents who were reluctant to evacuate.

"Some people would reach out and say, 'Look I don't want to go, I want to stay and protect'," she said.

"What I say to them is, 'Look, your family wants you safe, we want you safe'."

Saffin said the community and local agencies "are as prepared as we could be" after the 2022 floods.

"We've got a lot of boots and boats on the ground.

"We're still in recovery. We've still got people trying to repair their houses.

"We've still got people, we've had a buyback and they haven't moved yet. There's all sorts of things impacting our community."

— Veronica Lenard
1 month ago7 Mar 9:59am
'Lessons to be learned' about preparation: Labor frontbencher
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells told ABC News Breakfast delayed council works left residents with more preparation to do.

"We've been getting emails and calls into the office and we've been trying to triage them as best we can, the problem is always with — there is mitigation works planned that haven't yet been rolled out by council, they're now aware of it, people know it's not ready," she said. "People have asked for storm drains to be cleared and they weren't, and now it's manpower doing these things."

"It's lessons to be learned about being better prepared, but we've had an extra 24 hours.

"I've got people who are being door knocked to evacuate in Nudgee Beach, Sandgate and Brighton, and we've still got people saying they've been door knocked a second time and they're reticent to go. No-one knows what to expect when we haven't had this in fifty years, and we would urge people to follow authorities, when they're asked to evacuate, they're not asked to do that lightly."

When asked about how the government was balancing Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the upcoming election, Wells echoed the approach shared by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.

"I saw the prime minister probably 48 hours ago when he came to Kedron for the disaster management briefings. We spent a number of hours together," she said.

"He didn't ask me a single question about electoral matters, electoral timing. He was asking what things were in place on the ground, that's where his mind is at."

— Veronica Lenard
1 month ago7 Mar 9:54am
Dutton's choice to leave Brisbane a 'matter for him', Albanese says
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has responded to a question about Opposition leader Peter Dutton's decision to leave Brisbane and travel to Sydney for a fundraising event.

"That is a matter for him. I did see his comments about my responsibilities. But that's a matter for him," he said.

"He can comment on his own responsibilities. I am fulfilling mine."

Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley earlier said Dutton was "committed" to the job.

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 9:45am
PM says cyclone slowing doesn't necessarily mean good news
At a press conference in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that while the cyclone had slowed down, it wasn't necessarily good news.

"This is a serious event," he said. "What we need to do is hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

"This is already having an impact, and the impact with the slowing of the Cyclone Alfred in its journey westward to the coast, we should not think that slower means better."

"It's not clear that it could intensify as well as it is over warmer waters. It has the potential to increase the intensity of it."
Anthony Albanese.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media during a press conference at the National Situation Room in Canberra, Friday, March 7, 2025. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 9:39am
'Australia has always had natural disasters': PM on influence of climate change on Cyclone Alfred
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken about the link between climate change and Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

"Australia has always had natural disasters," he said at a press conference in Canberra. "We have always had that."

"What the science tells us is that there would be more extreme weather events, they would be more frequent and they would be more intense. I think anyone who looks at the science knows that that is what is occurring."

"So you can't say this event is just because of climate change. What you can say is that climate change is having an impact on our weather patterns."

"I take climate change seriously and my government takes climate change seriously."

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 9:20am
Bureau of Meteorology issues new tracking map
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued an updated tracking map for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

It says Alfred remains a category 2 cyclone and says it will maintain this intensity as it approaches land.

"Alfred is a category 2 cyclone, and is forecast to maintain this intensity as it approaches the coast today and tomorrow. Impacts expected to increase this evening," the update read.
— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 9:19am
Thousands of calls for help
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) have received 1,850 calls for help in the past 24 hours.

During the entire Tropical Cyclone Alfred event, there have been 3,494 calls for assistance in total.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Thursday afternoon said Queensland's SES had received 2,000 calls for assistance in total, with 700 that day.
1 month ago7 Mar 8:59am
Thousands without power as Alfred approaches
Tens of thousands of homes have lost power or are in need of urgent assistance as Alfred approaches.

More than 28,000 homes and businesses lost power on Friday morning around the Gold Coast area, Redland City and Scenic Rim.
Emergency workers looking at damaged power lines
Thousands are without power due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien
The outages were caused by debris over powerlines and substations, according to power company Energex. It said outages could last for a week or more.

"While we hope this doesn't happen, we must be ready for serious damage to the power network and/or homes," the company said.

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 8:44am
Dutton 'committed' to his electorate, Ley says
Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley says Peter Dutton is "committed" to the job after it emerged the Opposition leader had left his Queensland electorate and travelled to Sydney to attend a community event and fundraiser at the lavish $100 million mansion of Merivale boss Justin Hemmes.

"No one can doubt Peter Dutton's commitment to his electorate," she said. "I was in a virtual meeting with him yesterday, which he took from his community."

Dutton was due at a fundraiser at the Melbourne headquarters of Macquarie Bank on Wednesday night, but it was cancelled at the last minute without explanation.

"I won't get into the mud slinging about what that politician said about the other politician and so on," Ley said. "This is a time we should be focusing on the safety of Queenslanders."

A representative of his office told The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday that he was back in Brisbane.

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 8:06am
Australians urged to roll up their sleeves amid blood and plasma donation shortage
Lifeblood has urged Australians to roll up their sleeves across the nation as Cyclone Alfred has affected blood and plasma donor supplies.

The cyclone has led to a shortfall of more than 1,000 blood and plasma donations a day, with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood being forced to close 22 donor centres across Queensland and Northern NSW.

"A knock-on effect of the cyclone alert has resulted in a significant fall in blood and plasma," Cath Stone from Lifeblood told ABC News Breakfast.

"This is presumably because people in our third largest city, a very large population area, can't give blood at the moment."
She has urged Australians across the nation to give blood at some point this weekend and says staff are on standby with plenty of appointments available.

"We do not want anyone putting themselves in danger during this weather event. We are calling on people in other parts of the country to step up and book a donation so we can make up this shortfall.

"Blood is a critical resource and there are patients across Australia, including in impacted areas, who are reliant on blood and plasma donations."

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 7:57am
NSW SES urges people to 'stay indoors'
As the rest of Australia wakes, thousands of people in NSW's Northern Rivers region have spent their first night out of home after authorities ordered them to evacuate ahead of Alfred's arrival.

NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said the cyclone is "extremely widespread" and "incredibly difficult" to forecast and model.

"We need people to very much keep alert, to watch the Hazards Near Me app and New South Wales SES website because things are changing all the time," she said.

"An evacuation order was issued yesterday, but then we could extend the warning time."

Platz said the NSW SES had issued 100 warnings, including 24 emergency warnings.

Evacuation orders affect 25,000 homes and 10,000 people across the state.

— Alexandra Koster
1 month ago7 Mar 7:25am
Two flood rescues overnight
NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning.

She said the NSW SES had had almost 2,000 calls in the last 24 hours and two incidents of flood rescue after people drove into flooded waters.

"We're encouraging people, please don't drive out unless you're under evacuation orders, please — stay indoors and stay safe," she said.

"Importantly, do not drive through flooded waters, you're putting your own lives at risk and potentially your family and friends in the car with you, but you're placing our amazing volunteers and State Emergency Service workers at risk."

— Jessica Bahr
1 month ago7 Mar 7:06am
What are the latest updates from the Bureau of Meteorology?
According to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest update, Tropical Cyclone Alfred is continuing to move slowly towards the southeast Queensland coast. Rainfall and wind impacts are expected to continue increasing during today.

The warning zone remains from Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina but not including Grafton.

It remains a category 2 system, with sustained winds near the centre of 95 kilometres per hour with wind gusts to 130 kilometres per hour.
A map showing the predicted path of a cyclone
The Bureau of Meteorology's latest predicted path for Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Source: Supplied / Bureau of Meteorology
The cyclone is expected to remain of similar intensity until it crosses the coast late Friday evening or early Saturday, most likely close to Moreton Bay between Noosa and Coolangatta.

Heavy rainfall bands are extending over the coastal areas of southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. Heavy to intense rainfall may lead to dangerous flash flooding, and abnormally high tides are likely to continue.

— Jessica Bahr
1 month ago7 Mar 6:42am
Prime Minister sends message to communities ahead of cyclone
In a video published on social media platform X Thursday evening, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "the next few days will be tough" for those in cyclone-affected areas of Queensland and NSW.

Albanese urged communities to stay informed about storm updates, follow official advice and prepare for the storm's arrival.

"Secure your home, make a plan to evacuate and pack an emergency kit," he said.

Albanese also directed people to the websites of the
NSW State Emergency Service
,
Get Ready Queensland
and the
Bureau of Meteorology
for updates.

The Prime Minister said those affected will have Australia's support.
— Elfy Scott
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