Brisbane is a subtropical city of more than 2.5 million people, situated on a flood-prone river. That’s why residents mustn’t get complacent after Cyclone Alfred.
Several Australian airports on the southeastern coast have closed their terminals with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights as a Category 2 cyclone continues to barrel towards the country.The “extremely rare” Tropical Cyclone Alfred is causing severe travel disruption in the country as it draws near to the southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales coasts.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened into a tropical low Saturday as it neared Brisbane, Australia, bringing heavy rain and flooding risks to the region, according to officials. Initially expected to make landfall as the first cyclone to strike southeast Queensland since 1974, Alfred's winds dropped to under 39 mph (63 kph) as it shifted inland.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred's approach was coloured by slow, suspenseful movement. Here's how the weather event and emergency response unfolded.
The maps show the predicted flood extent for the most at-risk areas of Brisbane, based on Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.
A rare tropical cyclone veered towards Australia's densely populated eastern coast on Wednesday (Mar 5), sparking emergency warnings, closing hundreds of schools and threatening to
Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred has been downgraded to a tropical low, as it approaches Australia’s eastern coast. Although the speed at which Alfred is travelling has slowed, Brisbane locals have been sent a stark warning of what might be to come.
Significant damage and power outages are possible in the densely populated region of Queensland, where tropical cyclones impacts are not uncommon but direct landfalls are.