Tropical Cyclone Alfred makes landfall over Moreton Bay Islands
Tropical Cyclone Alfred made landfall over the Moreton Bay Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia at approximately 23:30 AEST (13:30 UTC) on Friday, March 7, 2025, as a Category 1 cyclone. The system is expected to move closer to the Queensland mainland for several hours before making landfall again on Saturday, March 8.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred making landfall over Moreton Bay Island at 13:30 UTC on March 7, 2025. Credit: JMA/Himawari-9, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers
As of 04:00 AEST on Saturday (17:00 UTC on Friday), Alfred’s center was located approximately 50 km (31 miles) north-northeast of Brisbane and 100 km (62 miles) north of the Gold Coast.
Alfred remains a Category 1 cyclone, with sustained winds near the center reaching 75 km/h (47 mph), gusts up to 100 km/h (62 mph), and a minimum central pressure of 982 hPa. The system was moving northwest at 10 km/h (6 mph).
Alfred is forecast to cross the mainland coast between Maroochydore and Brisbane on Saturday morning in the vicinity of Bribie Island. It is expected to weaken to below tropical cyclone strength as it moves inland late Saturday through Sunday, March 9.
Heavy rainfall bands from the cyclone are moving over southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. Heavy to locally intense rainfall may cause dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding through Saturday.
Heavy to locally intense rainfall is expected to continue near and south of Alfred’s center throughout the weekend. Separate Severe Weather Warnings, Flood Watches, and Flood Warnings remain in effect for southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales.
Minor flooding caused by abnormally high tides is expected to continue in low-lying coastal areas between Maroochydore and Ballina, particularly during the high tide early Saturday.
Damaging surf could result in significant beach erosion along open beaches between Double Island Point and Ballina, extending further south along the New South Wales coast. Separate Coastal Hazard and Hazardous Surf Warnings have been issued for the southeast Queensland and New South Wales coasts.
Gales with damaging wind gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph) are affecting the coast between Moreton Bay and Ballina. Gales with damaging wind gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph) are likely to persist for several hours as Alfred nears a second landfall between Maroochydore and Brisbane.
Winds are expected to extend to inland areas between Beerburrum and Ballina early Saturday morning. Winds may also reach exposed coastal locations further north of Maroochydore as Alfred crosses the mainland coast.
Although Alfred is expected to weaken below tropical cyclone strength as it moves inland on Saturday, damaging wind gusts may persist, particularly over elevated terrain.
Reports indicate that over 250 000 homes were without power from northern Brisbane to Lismore in New South Wales as the weather system continued its slow approach.
Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate, while those in Brisbane have been urged to stay indoors. Public transport services have been affected.
The current warning zone covers Noosa in Queensland to Cape Byron in New South Wales, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Byron Bay.
References:
1 Tropical cyclone advice number 46- BOM – March 7, 2025
2 Tropical cyclone technical bulletin – BOM – March 7, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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