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 6:42am
The mood on the ground as Cyclone Alfred approaches
NITV News and SBS News reporters spoke to residents on the ground on Thursday as they awaited the arrival of the storm.

Ellen Flint, who lives in the coastal suburb of Wellington Point in Brisbane, swung into action on Thursday and had been preparing "all day" when NITV News spoke to her.

"We weren't going to do anything too much, but then we thought, no, it's looking worse than what we thought" Flint said.

In a bid to keep water out of her property, Flint was using pillow slips filled with sand because she "couldn't get any sandbags and the line was too busy".
A woman standing outside her home and speaking to a journalist.
Ellen Flint lives in Wellington Point and is preparing for Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Source: SBS
Hannah Lindgren and her friend Wilma Hultmark are from Sweden and studying at Bond University on the Gold Coast. SBS News spoke to them at Burleigh Heads as they were preparing to "go home and take shelter".

"We haven't really experienced this kind of weather before, so it's cool to see but of course we are very scared," Lindgren said. "So we just have to stay safe and ride the storm out."

You can read the full report with
more interviews here
.

— David Aidone
1 month ago7 Mar 6:42am
Thousands of people in northern NSW asked to evacuate overnight
Tropical Cylone Alfred is predicted to make landfall either late this evening or in the early hours of Saturday morning.

You can find the current predictions about the storm's progression from the Bureau of Meteorology
in this report
.

Overnight, thousands of people in northern NSW were urged to evacuate quickly as the category 2 cyclone continues to approach the coast.

NSW State Emergency Services issued the evacuation warnings around 5.30pm Thursday evening, asking residents in 11 areas to evacuate before 9pm.
NSW Premier Chris Minns advised people to try and seek shelter with family or friends to avoid overwhelming evacuation centres set up across the region.

Minns said for those who remain behind in evacuation zones, rescues cannot be guaranteed.

"So the way to keep yourself and your family safe, particularly in the next few hours, is to evacuate before 9pm," he said.

Some areas of Lismore were included in the evacuation orders and Lismore MP Janelle Saffin warned locals not to wait, after she and other residents had to flee in the middle of the night during devastating, sudden floods in 2022.

"It's hard to do it, but if you get an evacuation order, please do it," she said.

Essential Energy has advised that 10,000 homes are now without power due to heavy winds, and many may remain disconnected for long periods of time.

— Elfy Scott and the Australian Associated Press
1 month ago7 Mar 6:41am
Welcome to our Friday coverage of Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The category 2 system is expected to make landfall overnight, with wind and rain beginning to intensify in parts of Queensland and northern NSW.

SBS News will be covering the latest updates, alerts, and warnings.

— Jessica Bahr
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