Alfred could be first cyclone in 50 years to make landfall in SEQ

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is tipped to head for the South East Queensland coast in coming days, and if it does make landfall here it will be the first cyclone in 50 years to do so. Here are the others.

More than 20 people were killed in 1954 when the Great Gold Coast Cyclone hit. Picture: Supplied

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is tipped to head for the South East Queensland coast in coming days, and if it does make landfall here it will be the first cyclone in 50 years to do so.

Residents have been urged to take warnings seriously and prepare now for a crossing anywhere between Bundaberg and the NSW border.

The latest update from the Bureau of Meteorology has Alfred sitting about 545km east of Rockhampton and 370km east-northeast of Bundaberg and heading south-southeast, but it is expected to turn west towards the South East Queensland on Tuesday, with the worst impacts expected from Wednesday through to the weekend.

While SEQ has felt the aftermaths of various cyclones that either hit further north or passed offshore, it is less common for a cyclone to directly hit the South East.

On Sunday Premier David Crisafulli reminded Queenslanders that it has happened in the past and it could happen this week.

“I know this is not a frequent occurrence, and there may be Queenslanders who can be forgiven for thinking this is something that doesn’t occur,” he said.

“Well, history shows that it does, and that’s why we are taking that precautionary approach and we’re asking people to do everything you can, to get ready.”

Mr Crisafulli referred to three cyclones - Nancy, Zoe and the Great Gold Coast Cyclone - although only two of those actually crossed the South East coast.

Since BOM began reporting tropical cyclones in 1970/1971, at least 20 cyclones have approached areas within 300km of Brisbane, with 16 of them making landfall but not necessarily landfall in the southeast corner. Here are the ones which have:

Sand erosion at Narrowneck due to Tropical Cyclone Oma - one of multiple cyclones which have impacted the South East despite not actually crossing the coast there. Picture: Jerad Williams

1974 - Tropical Cyclone Zoe

Tropical Cyclone Zoe crossed the coast at Coolangatta from March 6 to March 13 in 1974 as a category two.

“There was no significant wind damage however flooding was extensive with major floods in Brisbane creeks cutting main roads and some houses were flooded,” the Bureau wrote on its website

“There was severe erosion along the Gold Coast beaches and the significant wave height at South Nobby reached 3.8m.”

Major flooding also occurred in north-east NSW, including Murwillumbah and Lismore.

1971 - Dora

Tropical Cyclone Dora crossed the coast just north of Brisbane on February 17 1971, as a category 1.

There was fairly widespread structural damage at Redcliffe, the worst case being a roof removed from a block of units.

There were also trees and powerlines down and some flooding.

1954 - The Great Gold Coast Cyclone

Between 26 to 30 people died as a result of the Great Gold Coast Cyclone crossing over Coolangatta in February 1954.

The cyclone hit Queensland before the current naming system so it was given the title of the Great Gold Coast Cyclone because there was big structural damage in Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

In Moreton Bay a 0.64m storm search was recorded.

Flooding from the storm surge and the Nerang River forced evacuations.

Some of the cyclones which came close and caused damage

The crew at Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Bribie Island assisted several vessels that broke moorings in the wake of Cyclone Oma.

2019 - Tropical Cyclone Oma

Oma drifted as far south as off the coast of Brisbane and parts of South East Queensland were placed under a Tropical Cyclone Watch.

The system remained offshore but generated significant waves exceeding 5m, including for parts of northern New South Wales.

This led to severe coastal erosion, which was exacerbated by high tides.

Coastal flooding impacted parts of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

2017 - Tropical low (ex-TC Debbie)

Debbie made landfall near Airlie Beach on March 28 2017, after crossing the Whitsunday islands as a large and powerful category 4.

Debbie weakened below tropical cyclone strength the next day and the remnant low then turned southeast, producing a broad swathe of damaging winds and torrential rainfall from central Queensland to the southeast.

Ex-tropical cyclone Debbie tracked southeast over the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane during the afternoon and evening of Thursday, 30th March. Damaging wind gusts of up to 131 km/h were observed along with widespread falls in excess of 150mm. Heavier falls of over 200mm occurred further south over the Gold Coast hinterland and Scenic Rim, and isolated falls of 600mm were recorded. Upper Springbrook, in the Gold Coast hinterland, received 602mm of rainfall in the 24 hours to 9am Friday, 31st March. The Queensland government ordered all schools south of Agnes Water and east of Nanango to close on Thursday due to the threat of flash flooding and damaging winds. Schools from the Sunshine Coast southward remained closed on Friday.Disastrous river flooding occurred in the Logan and Albert Rivers in far southeast Queensland, and in the Tweed River basin in northeastern New South Wales. 20,000 people were evacuated from the Lismore and Murwillumbah areas.

2013 - Tropical low (ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald)

Oswald briefly reached tropical cyclone intensity near the Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria coast but was then responsible for flooding rainfall across large parts of Queensland.

Oswald crossed the western Cape York Peninsula coast near Kowanyama on 22 January. After becoming a low it tracked to the southeast just inland of Queensland’s coast and produced severe weather over nearly all of eastern Queensland during the following week.

On 27 January the low moved further to the southeast, and far southeastern Queensland, including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast was impacted by high winds, torrential rain, dangerous surf, and tidal inundation for up to 24 hours.

The Lockyer Creek, Bremer River, and the Brisbane River all flooded, though the flooding in the Brisbane River did not reach the levels seen in the 2013 floods.

1990 - Tropical low (ex-Tropical Cyclone Nancy)

Tropical Cyclone Nancy impacted South East Queensland from January 28 to February 8 in 1990.

On January 31 the cyclone veered southwest and on course towards Brisbane. While it didn’t cross the coast it came very close as a category one.

Over the course of the next few days Nancy’s progress was slow and irregular.

“Heavy rain (up to 530 mm in 24 hours, 132mm in three hours) occurred between the coast and coastal ranges south from Brisbane, causing flash flooding in which four people drowned,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s website states.

“On its trek southward, Nancy gradually weakened and by 4 February it finally became an extratropical low. Surface reports and satellite data over the southern Tasman Sea demonstrated that Nancy’s structure still contained a significant low pressure centre for two days after this date.

“The remains of the former cyclone dissipated west of central New Zealand on 8 February.”

1974 - Tropical low (formerly TC Wanda 1974)

This system made landfall on 24 January 1974 near Maryborough.

It was relatively weak with peak intensity of category 2 but it dropped enormous quantities of rain on South East Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales over the Australia Day (26–27 January) weekend, resulting in some of the worst flooding seen in a century.

Brisbane fared particularly badly, with 14 lives lost and parts of the city submerged under two metres of the Brisbane River.

Records show that five days of torrential rain followed its crossing, with rainfalls in the Brisbane area ranging from 500mm to 900mm during this period.

At least 6700 homes were partially or totally flooded in the Brisbane metropolitan area. Ipswich recorded approximately 1800 residential or commercial premises partially or totally inundated by floodwaters.

1972 - Tropical Cyclone Emily

Emily crossed the Queensland coast just to the southeast of Gladstone on April 2 as a category 2, while rapidly weakening.

The cyclone had generated huge seas and claimed the lives of eight seaman in three separate incidents off the southern and central Queensland coasts.

Flooding occurred, with Kingaroy being isolated for a time and Breakfast Creek flooded some houses in Brisbane.

Wind damage was confined to trees and sheds.

1972 - Tropical Cyclone Daisy

Daisy made landfall on Fraser Island on February 11, 1972.

Some 200 homes were damaged at Pialba and more houses had their roofs torn off.

Forestry officials reported serious damage to forests near Maryborough and on Fraser Island.

Flooding occurred throughout South East Queensland with severe floods in Brisbane creeks.

On the Gold Coast the mouth of Tallebudgera Creek silted up, causing severe flooding upstream to commercial and domestic properties.

Peak swell heights to 8.3 m were read at the South Nobby wave recording station on the Gold Coast. Severe erosion occurred down to Brunswick Heads and on the western side of Fraser Island where a 3m storm surge was reported.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Originally published as Alfred could be first cyclone in 50 years to make landfall in SEQ