TEHRAN (Tasnim) Tropical Cyclone Alfred has weakened into a tropical low, but officials warn it could still bring severe winds and flooding to Australia's eastern coast.
- World news -The Bureau of Meteorology reported that Alfred weakened early Saturday after crossing islands off the coast of Queensland overnight. The storm is now moving toward the mainland.
Heavy-to-locally intense rainfall leading to flash and riverine flooding now becomes the major concern as the ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred moves inland, said Matt Collopy, Bureau of Meteorology manager.
Alfred has left more than a quarter of a million homes and businesses without power and forced thousands to evacuate. No fatalities have been reported, but authorities urged residents to remain indoors.
The impacts are already being felt, and there is worse to come in the hours ahead, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a news conference from the National Situation Room in Canberra.
The cyclone was initially expected to be the first to make landfall near Brisbane, Queenslands capital, since 1974. While cyclones are common in the states tropical north, they are rare in the densely populated southeastern region bordering New South Wales.
Thousands Without Power
Brisbane Airport remains closed, and the city has suspended public transport. More than 1,000 schools in southeast Queensland and 280 in northern New South Wales have also shut down.
More than 330,000 homes and businesses lost power across Queensland and New South Wales, with the Gold Coast recording the strongest wind gusts at 107 km/h (66 mph) on Friday night. Queensland accounted for 291,000 outages, including 131,000 in the Gold Coast, while 45,000 properties in New South Wales were left without electricity.
Falling trees damaged power lines, homes, and vehicles across the region overnight.
In northern New South Wales, a man remains missing after his four-wheel-drive vehicle was swept off a bridge into a swollen river on Thursday.
While it has been downgraded, very serious risks remain, so it is important that people do not take this downgrading as a reason for complacency, Albanese warned.
