Evacuation orders extended as Alfred bears down on northern NSW

Thousands of northern NSW residents have heeded the warning to evacuate as Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on towns that have barely recovered from the catastrophic floods of three years ago, with the premier pleading with those that remain to make the last-minute dash to safety.

The storm is forecast to cross the coast north of Brisbane as a category 1 cyclone about 9am (AEDT) on Saturday, bringing winds of 120km/h and hundreds of millimetres of rain to the state’s north coast.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, speaking from Lismore, said the public had largely been following safety advice. Credit: Nick Moir

Nearly 30,000 homes are subject to the evacuation orders that extend from Tweed on the far north coast, inland at Lismore, and as far south as Port Macquarie, with widespread flooding forecast.

Speaking in Lismore on Friday afternoon, NSW Premier Chris Minns said thousands of people had already left following advice from the State Emergency Service.

“If you’re one of the few people that are remaining in your house, and you’re in an evacuation area, you’re one of the only people in your street left, and you will literally be by yourself,” Minns said.

“Please follow these evacuation orders unless you have to stay off the roads.”

The frantic evacuation efforts came as authorities desperately searched for a man missing in floodwaters after his 4WD was washed off a bridge north-east of Dorrigo.

Police said the man was initially able to get out of the vehicle and secure himself to a tree branch about 30 metres from the river bank. However, he swept away and hadn’t been sighted since.

On Friday, six more evacuation orders were issued for areas surrounding Lismore.

The still-reeling Northern Rivers town, which was devastated by record flooding in 2022, has been warned that its CBD is at risk of flooding again. Lismore has received more than 150 millimetres of rain in the past 24 hours as residents hunkered down.

Other areas subject to evacuation orders include Kyogle, Tumbulgum, Fingal Head and Macksville.

Local flash flooding in Lismore as Cyclone Alfred nears the coast.Credit: Nick Moir

The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest update, current at 9pm on Friday (AEDT), forecast Alfred to cross the coast between Noosa and Coolangatta, near Moreton Island, on Saturday morning. Alfred is then expected to remain over Brisbane for several hours.

The category 2 storm, which will now reach the coast as a category 1, is still expected to maintain its intensity despite the possibility of it being downgraded.

With notice of Alfred’s delayed arrival came warnings from authorities that severe weather conditions would be prolonged the slower the first tropical cyclone to hit NSW since 1990 made its way towards land.

Sustained winds near the storm’s centre were holding steady at 100km/h on Friday afternoon, the weather bureau said, while wind gusts of up to 140km/h had been recorded. Residents in north-east NSW have been warned they could face winds exceeding 120km/h, while those near the Gold Coast may face destructive wind gusts of 155km/h.

On Friday evening, Alfred was about 85 kilometres east of Brisbane and 70 kilometres east to north-east of the Gold Coast. It was moving at a speed of 7km/h, a marked decrease from earlier in the week when it was tracking towards the coast at 11km/h.

Local Emergency Operations Controller, NSW Police Superintendent Scott Tanner, said conditions would get worse as Cyclone Alfred approached.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s wobbly track towards eastern Australia over the last 72 hours. 10:57 AM · Mar 7, 2025 GIFCredit: Weatherzone.com.au

“We don’t need people to get complacent because this weather system seems to have slowed,” he said. “It is still packing a very mighty punch.”

More than 38,000 homes were without power on Friday afternoon. Power may not return for several days, with conditions too dangerous for crews to go out in and conduct repairs.

More than 300 NSW schools, along with TAFEs and childcare centres, have been closed until at least Monday, but they could remain shut for longer if Alfred makes landfall later than expected.

SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said frontline crews responded to 1100 incidents in the 24 hours to Friday morning, including at least five flood rescues as low-lying areas became “inundated” with water.

“We’re already getting flood rescue calls this early into the incident, and this situation will deteriorate in the next 24 to 48 hours … I can’t be clearer … do not drive through floodwaters,” Wassing said.

“Whilst some of the overnight conditions may not have been as bad as people may have expected … now is not the time to be complacent.”

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jane Golding said regions already battered by rain will receive a deluge tonight.

“We will see an escalation or a deterioration overnight, as Cyclone Alfred moves close,” she said.

Winds greater than 155km/h are expected north of Cape Byron, while waves up to nine metres high have been recorded.

“Those large, powerful waves mean very dangerous conditions along the coast and beaches,” Golding said.

The weather bureau will now provide updates hourly, instead of every three hours.

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