Australia’s east coast battered by Alfred’s deadly winds, heavy rains

Damaging winds and torrential rains from Alfred continue to wreak havoc across Australia’s Queensland region.

Gusts and torrential rain have caused widespread power outages and triggered flash floods in parts of Australia’s east coast, with one person killed and a dozen soldiers wounded.

After days hovering off the coast as a Category 2 tropical cyclone and battering a 400km (250-mile) stretch of coastline, Alfred significantly weakened on Sunday, but still left significant disturbance along its path.

Some 316,540 people were without power as of Sunday in Queensland’s southeast, where the Gold Coast city was the worst-hit area, energy distributor Energex said in a statement.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that the “situation in Queensland and northern New South Wales remains very serious due to flash flooding and heavy winds”.

“Heavy rainfall, damaging wind gusts, and coastal surf impacts are expected to continue over coming days,” Albanese said in Canberra.

Suburbs across Brisbane have already been inundated by floodwaters today, caused by heavy rainfall overnight, rapid river level rises and elevated sea levels associated with Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. #9News

STREAM HERE: https://t.co/mzkmCL0m8e pic.twitter.com/jcElfr8C3n

— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) March 9, 2025

In Queensland’s Hervey Bay, more than 230mm (9 inches) of rain was recorded in just six hours on Sunday morning, according to State Premier David Crisafulli.

“We’ve seen that culminate in reports of flash flooding in homes and in businesses,” Crisafulli was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

News.com.au reported that emergency services in Hervey Bay have carried out multiple rescues “in one of its worst weather emergencies on record” in the area.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding was developing on Sunday and could affect Brisbane as well as the Queensland regional centres of Ipswich, Sunshine Coast and Gympie.

Damaging winds with gusts of about 90km/h (60mph) were also possible in the state, the bureau said on its website.

Brisbane airport reopened on Sunday but posted on X that “ongoing weather may affect the schedule”.

Queensland will decide later on Sunday whether about 1,000 state schools, closed due to the bad weather, will reopen on Monday.

The neighbouring state of New South Wales (NSW) has confirmed all public schools that were closed on Friday due to Alfred will remain closed again on Monday.

On Saturday, one man died in a flood in northern NSW.

Meanwhile, 13 Australian Defence Force soldiers en route to help residents in NSW’s city of Lismore were injured in a road collision, officials said. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, two of the soldiers remain in serious condition.

Alfred is the first cyclone to cross the east Australian coast near the Queensland state capital of Brisbane since 1974.