DANGEROUS “STORM TIDE”
There was a chance it would make landfall at high tide, said forecasters, creating a “dangerous storm tide” with powerful waves.
“We are planning for significant rainfall that will see significant inundation, isolation and potential need for evacuation,” said emergency services commissioner Mike Wassing.
“I want people to act now, relocate now before those circumstances are occurring.”
While cyclones are common in the warm tropical waters lapping Australia’s northern flank, it is rarer for them to form in cooler waters further south.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred would be the first to make landfall in that part of Australia since 1974, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“This is perhaps an indication that due to global warming, the reach of tropical cyclones is extending further than the tropics, requiring preparedness in areas where cyclones are unprecedented,” said Iftekhar Ahmed from the University of Newcastle.
Two season-opening Australian rules football matches – the country’s most popular spectator sport – slated for Thursday have been postponed because of the storm.
The Gold Coast Festival of Golf and Australia’s largest triathlon have also been called off.
Researchers have repeatedly warned that climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.
