Cyclone Alfred live updates: what you need to know

Authorities are warning residents to brace for devastating floods as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred slams into the mainland this morning.

Although the storm has been downgraded to a tropical low, the Bureau of Meteorology says the category rating system only relates to wind speeds, and has nothing to do with the amount of rain that will be dumped across the impact zone in the coming days.

‘In this case, Alfred is going to bring a lot of rain, whether it is a tropical cyclone or whether it is a tropical low,’ the Bureau’s Anus Hines tells the ABC.

‘Tomorrow, it will be inland areas which start seeing severe falls and so the hinterland, the Scenic Rim, parts of (the) Darling Downs and Queensland, and then parts of the Northern Tablelands.’

He also predicts it will be the regions south of the eye of the storm that are actually hardest hit by the tempest and its torrential downpours.

His warning comes amid fears the Wilsons River will break its levee in South Lismore in the next couple of hours amid widespread flooding throughout northern NSW.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg says it is distressing news for a community still trying to rebuild in the wake of the devastating 2022 floods.

‘If our levee overtops especially, our town’s in a lot of trouble – just emotionally, financially, people are really struggling before this cyclone,’ he says.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has been downgraded to a category one system as it hits Queensland’s outer islands.

As of 4am, the cyclone was close to Bribie Island and moving 10km/h to the mainland with 65km/h winds near the centre and gusts of up to 95km/h.

It was 55km northeast of Brisbane and 55km southeast of Maroochydore, and is expected to make landfall in the next few hours.

As Alfred crosses the coast, it is forecast to weaken below tropical cyclone strength.

Despite its weakening, heavy rainfall, wind and high swells are likely to continue over southeast Queensland and northeast NSW during the weekend.

The warning zone has been reduced from 650km to 160km, and now stretches from Noosa to Brisbane, but doesn’t include the Queensland capital.

Anthony Albanese has been slammed for revealing he will not call an election date this weekend due to Cyclone Alfred.

Mr Albanese made the revelation on ABC’s 7.30 program on Friday, arguing he would not announce the election date on Saturday or Sunday while the government focused on the incoming cyclone.

The federal election was widely expected to be held on April 12, however it is now believed it will be held in May.

The tropical cyclone has since been downgraded to a tropical low.

Aussies took to social media platform X to slam the news, with many accusing Mr Albanese of using the storm to his political advantage.

‘Cyclone isn’t going to the last until April 12. Election must be held by May. Is a month really going to change much?’ one wrote.

‘Call the election! No excuses! We want time to test the candidates. We want debates on the issues. We want change,’ another added.

‘Delaying the inevitable bloodbath Labor will be experience,’ a third wrote.

Emergency crews have been inundated with calls for help as flash floods wreak havoc across large stretches of the country’s east coast.

The NSW SES says it has received more than 8,800 calls and responded to more than 5,062 incidents throughout the state’s north-east as Cyclone Alfred thunders towards the mainland.

As of 5am on Saturday, more than 16,000 residents have been evacuated across the region, with 31,000 homes subject to warnings as a result of severe flooding.

Millions of residents across south-east Queensland and northern NSW are bracing for ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred to hit the mainland within hours.

The slow-moving storm has been on a collision course with the densely populated corridor for days and is predicted to finally strike this morning.

The system is currently about 40km off the Sunshine Coast, and 65km northeast of Brisbane, and is expected to make landfall between Maroochydore and Bribie Island this morning.

Although the cyclone has been downgraded overnight, it is still expected to batter the region with wind gusts of up to 85km/h.

Heavy rainfalls are now expected to be the most dangerous aspect of the storm, with major flooding predicted throughout the region.

Almost a quarter of a million homes are without power across south-east Queensland while close to 50,000 homes have lost electricity in northern NSW after the regions were lashed by storms ahead of the cyclone.

Authorities warn even more homes are likely to lose power when the full force of the storm hits today and that the blackouts could last days.

Public transport has been shut down throughout the impact zone, along with major supermarket chains and most businesses.

All planes have been grounded at Brisbane and Gold Coast airports and flights suspended for the duration of the storm, with Qantas predicting air travel will resume from Sunday morning.

Thousands of homes have been plunged into darkness overnight with almost 250,000 properties now without power in Queensland.

Close to 50,000 houses are also without electricity south of the border in northern NSW, with authorities warning the outages could last for days.

The Gold Coast has been the hardest hit by blackouts with almost 120,000 homes affected.

More homes are expected to lose power throughout the morning as storms continue to batter the coast and bring down power lines.