Hundreds of Flights Canceled, Evacuations Ordered as Cyclone Alfred Nears Australia’s East Coast

The heavy rain, record-breaking waves, and life-threatening flooding on Australia’s eastern coast are just the first stage of Cyclone Alfred—a rare tropical storm heading straight for Brisbane.

Originally predicted to make landfall on Thursday, March 6, the tropical storm has slowed down, giving residents more time to prepare for the worst of it. The new landfall estimate given by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is late Friday or early Saturday—although the delay does not mean less risk.

“Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to produce the risk of a significant storm surge, and again that is most likely around the southern side of the system,” said the BoM’s Matthew Collopy, as reported by Australia’s ABC News. 

New South Wales’ northern coastline and much of Queensland’s southern coastline are already experiencing hazardous weather. 

According to The Independent, the area has seen record-breaking 12-meter [40-foot] waves, and over 4,500 residents are experiencing power outages due to the strong winds.

Users have shared shocking videos of the large swells and powerful winds on social media.

I’ll be riding out #CycloneAlfred in Australia’s tallest residential tower; still 36+ hours from landfall, and you can feel the building shaking!

Allegedly the footings go 150 metres deep. Gonna be safe, and a wild ride. pic.twitter.com/AdCUfWhYYw

— Jacob Aldridge (@jacobaldridge) March 6, 2025

The New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES) has issued evacuation orders to at least 20 areas, citing expected flooding and power outages. 

Flight and Cruise Ship Impact .

Brisbane Airport (BNE) has canceled all incoming and outgoing Friday flights. Although the airport is still technically open, it has suspended all operations in anticipation of the storm.

On March 6, the airport posted the following update on its website:

“All passenger flights in and out of Brisbane Airport have been suspended until further notice. Operations at Brisbane Airport will recommence as soon as it is safe to do so, when the weather system has passed and when the Airport’s terminals and runways are deemed safe to re-open. Do not come to the Airport until your airline advises you to,” it said.

Gold Coast Airport (OOT), south of Brisbane, also closed its doors ahead of the storm, and says it will only reopen when safe to do so.

Flights out of other major Australian airports are also being impacted. According to FlightAware, cancellations and delays are piling up at Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), and Auckland (AKL), with each airport experiencing double-digit delays and cancellations on Friday.

For those cruising in Australia, the Port of Brisbane issued a notice on March 5, stating “guests have been advised that neither Carnival Luminosa or Quantum of the Seas will call in Brisbane on Thursday or Friday. Other scheduled cruise calls are under consideration by MSQ and the cruise lines.”

Why Cyclone Alfred is a “ rare” tropical storm

The last cyclone to hit Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales was in 1974—51 years ago. 

“This is a rare event, to have a tropical cyclone in an area that is not classified as part of the tropics, here in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales,“ the Prime Minister told reporters (via AP).

Cyclone Alfred is currently a category 2 tropical storm, with sustained winds near the centre reaching speeds of 80 mph.

Some BoM estimates suggest it could downgrade to a category 1 by the time it hits land. The issue, however, is that these categories are specific to wind speeds. 

Even as a category 1, Cyclone Alfred could pose a life-threatening risk because of flooding.  

“As the system crosses the coast, we may see sea levels of one meter [3 feet] above the normal highest astronomical tides,” explained Collopy. “If the system crosses at exactly high tide, there is the risk of seeing storm surges up to 1.5 meters [5 feet], particularly around the Redlands Bay area and the Gold Coast,” said Collopy.