Alfred

History

Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred originated from a tropical low in the Coral Sea around 20 February 2025, approximately 370 km northeast of Cooktown, Queensland. It was classified as a named cyclone by the Bureau of Meteorology on 22 February — notably named Alfred rather than the originally planned Anthony, to avoid using a name matching Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Over the following days, Alfred intensified steadily, reaching a peak of Category 4 on the Australian scale before undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle that caused fluctuations between Categories 3 and 4. The system subsequently weakened, meandered erratically off the southeast Queensland coast, briefly transitioned to a subtropical cyclone, then re-intensified to Category 2 before approaching land.

Alfred made landfall on Moreton Island at around 23:30 AEST on 7 March with winds of approximately 75 km/h, before being downgraded to a tropical low by 06:45 AEST on 8 March. It crossed the mainland near Brisbane later that evening, stalling near Bribie Island before dissipating on 9 March. Though weaker than feared at landfall, Alfred's heavy rainfall produced severe flooding across Southeast Queensland and the New South Wales North Coast. At least one fatality was confirmed, with four others reported missing. Multiple injuries occurred, largely from a road collision involving Australian Defence Force personnel near Lismore. Total economic losses were estimated at approximately US$1.36 billion.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia