With the destructive weather system set to make landfall in the next 24 hours.
The system is expected to slow down, approach the Gold Coast, then possibly stall before eventually making landfall on Friday night or early on Saturday morning.
Alfred will likely stay category 2 until affecting the Moreton Bay islands before then decreasing in intensity to a category 1 when it moves closer to the mainland.
Despite the change in intensity, impacts from the cyclone will remain just as serious, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“The risk of significant impacts due to widespread heavy rainfall is expected to continue near the coast and extend over adjacent inland areas during the weekend,” it said.
Major riverine flooding is expected across Queensland’s southeast and the Northern Rivers in NSW, with Lismore once again on watch after the community was devastated by floods in 2022.
Damaging winds up to 120km/h per hour are occurring near the coast between Cape Moreton and Cape Byron, BOM said.
