East Coast Flooded as Cyclone Alfred Remnants Bring Torrential Rain and Power Outages

Torrential Rain Floods Australia's East Coast

The remnants of Cyclone Alfred unleashed torrential rain on Australia's east coast on Monday, March 10th, causing widespread flooding and leaving over 200,000 homes and businesses without power.

The storm system, though weakened, continued to pose a threat, with authorities issuing flood and severe weather warnings across a 400km stretch of coastline spanning Queensland and New South Wales.

Brisbane, Queensland's capital city, bore the brunt of the rainfall, receiving 30cm of rain in just 24 hours. Streets were transformed into rivers, stranding cars and causing significant disruption. Emergency services worked tirelessly throughout the night, rescuing 17 people from rising floodwaters.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli urged residents to stay vigilant, warning of the potential for further intense flooding. "Rainfall is leading to flash flooding as well as river flooding in parts of the southeast," he said. "We are urging people to stay connected because of the prospect of more intense flooding during the course of today."

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the ongoing risk of heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and moderate-to-major river flooding. Forecaster Jonathan How attributed the severe weather to the remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. "It did cross the southeast Queensland coast on Saturday, but it has been very slow moving even as it moved over land," he explained. "And, quite importantly, it is still dragging a lot of moisture.