Australia readies as rare cyclone moves towards eastern coast

Communities in Queensland, Australia, are bracing for a rare tropical cyclone.

On Wednesday, residents were warned of heavy rainfall is forecast for south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales from Thursday.

Heavy to locally intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding may occur near and south of the cyclone centre as Alfred approaches the coast late on Thursday and persist into Friday, warned the country's weather forecaster, the Bureau of Meteorology

According to reports, emergency warnings have been issued leading to the closure of hundreds of schools along the country's east coast.

"Tropical Cyclone Alfred, a category 2 system, is 335km east of Brisbane and 310km east-north-east of the Gold Coast and is moving towards the south-east Queensland coast," the bureau said.

It said Alfred is forecast to maintain category 2 intensity as it approaches the south-east Queensland coast on Thursday. Alfred is expected to cross the coast early Friday morning, most likely between Maroochydore and Coolangatta.

"Gales with damaging wind gusts to 120km/hr are expected to develop along the south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales coastal and island communities between Double Island Point and Grafton from later today and persist on Thursday, and Friday.

"Destructive wind gusts of up to 155km/hr may develop about coastal and island locations near and to the south of the track, possibly as far south as about Cape Byron, from Thursday afternoon as Alfred's destructive core approaches and crosses the coast," the agency added.

The agency further warned of a dangerous storm tide along the coastal foreshore, as far as Cape Byron.

"Abnormally high tides are likely to continue causing minor flooding of coastal low lying areas between Double Island Point and Grafton, particularly during the time of high tides Wednesday night into early Thursday morning and Thursday night into early Friday morning," the bureau explained.

It warned of beach erosion y for the open beaches between Double Island Point and Grafton, and further south over the New South Wales coast.

seanne.rall@iol.co.za

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