Tropical Cyclone Alfred is currently showing a reduced likelihood of making landfall on the Queensland coastline, although it is expected to remain active as it crosses the Coral Sea into the coming week. The storm briefly reached severe category 4 status overnight but has since weakened back to category 3. Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Jonathan How, indicated that the chances of landfall appear to be diminishing.
Initially forecasted to move towards Queensland, the cyclone is expected to shift direction southward on Sunday. It is anticipated to decline further to a category 2 storm by tomorrow. However, even without making landfall, Alfred is still generating hazardous weather conditions along the Queensland coast, stretching from Townsville to K’gari.
How cautioned that dangerous surf conditions, with wave heights reaching up to 2.5 metres and swells around three metres, coupled with strong winds, render activities such as swimming, boating, and rock fishing unsafe along the coast. These perilous conditions are expected to extend to the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast over the weekend.
The cyclone’s winds currently measure 155km/h at its centre, with gusts reaching up to 220km/h, contributing to gale-force winds across the Great Barrier Reef. Presently, the storm is located approximately 750km east-north-east of Julia Creek, and it is predicted to maintain a category two classification into next week. A range of potential paths for Alfred’s longer-term movement will be closely monitored following the weekend.