Evacuation orders issued as storm’s approach slows, Lismore at risk of flooding

Sustained winds near the storm’s centre were holding steady at 95km/h on Friday morning, the weather bureau said, while wind gusts up to 130km/h had been recorded. Residents in north-east NSW have been warned that they could face winds exceeding 100km/h.

More than 10,000 homes were without power on Friday morning, while more than 280 NSW schools have been closed until at least Monday but could be shut longer if Alfred makes landfall later than expected.

With Alfred’s delayed arrival came warnings from authorities that severe weather conditions, including damaging gale force winds of more than 100km/h and hundreds of millimetres of rainfall daily, would be prolonged the slower the first tropical cyclone to hit NSW since 1990 made its way towards land.

On early Friday morning, Alfred was about 185 kilometres east of Brisbane and 180 kilometres east to north-east of the Gold Coast, where a 12.3-metre wave was recorded off Main Beach overnight on Wednesday as the coast was battered with monstrous swells.

Weather conditions are expected to worsen across Friday as winds pick up and heavy rain sets in. Hundreds of millimetres of rain could fall daily, with some parts of north-east NSW are forecast to be drenched with up to 800 millimetres of rain over several days. The weather bureau has warned widespread heavy rainfall could lead to life-threatening flash flooding.

Speaking from Lismore on Thursday, NSW Premier Chris Minns compared Cyclone Alfred to an “unwanted houseguest”.

Loading

“It’s told us that it’s going to be late, but linger even longer, and unfortunately, that means the window for destruction in our community, heavy rains, winds, powerful surf is longer than we would otherwise like,” he said.

Minns said Thursday was the “day to act” and advised those in at-risk areas to avoid floodwaters.

“We know that communities in the Northern Rivers are resilient people, but you need them to understand that the threat isn’t over, and as a result, they need to make sure they’re doing everything they can to prepare,” he said.

Acting NSW SES Chief Superintendent Stuart Fisher said strong winds in Lismore were expected to bring down power lines and trees, making it more difficult for emergency services to access people stuck in flooded areas.

“The weather is deteriorating rapidly for us – whilst it may look like the rivers aren’t flooding, there is high concern that they will start flooding tonight and continue into tomorrow,” Fisher said on Thursday.

A State Emergency Operations Centre was opened in Homebush, in Sydney’s inner-west, to act as a central hub and provide assistance and intelligence for response agencies.

Destructive winds of up to 155km/h and a dangerous storm tide could hit as far south as Cape Byron, the weather bureau said.