While far more out of the firing line than our coastal counterparts, Darling Downs residents are being advised to err on the side of caution in the face of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
It appears being located some 150 kilometres inland will not be far enough away to be safe from the effects of the cyclone, which at this stage is most likely to cross the coast near Brisbane late on Thursday or early Friday and continue westward.
Winds already began to pick up earlier this week and worryingly for farmers and other residents, are expected to only get stronger.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting winds in the eastern Darling Downs could reach up to 60km/h on Thursday and Friday and gusts up to 90km/h.
BoM is predicting anywhere from 20 to 90 millimetres of rain on Friday, with more rain to come on Saturday and beyond.
Be prepared for Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Ahead of Tropical Cyclone (TC) Alfred making landfall, Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said residents should take precautions.
“I have been in various briefings with the Queensland State Government and fellow SEQ Mayors during the past few days and our Toowoomba Local Disaster Management Group is well prepared should the need arise to move to a lean forward or stand-up phase,” Mayor McDonald said.
“For us in the Toowoomba Region, while we certainly won’t have the coastal impacts from TC Alfred, residents should be prepared for the potential of significant rainfall and windy conditions from Friday of this week and into the weekend as the system potentially tracks further west.
“Residents should take normal precautions such as driving to conditions on our roads, preparing your home for stormtype impacts and having an emergency plan if you live in a location across our region which floods or becomes isolated from flooding should that potentially occur later this week and across the weekend.”
Make sure to favourite the Emergency Alert number (0444 444 444), which sends text messages to everyone within a certain geographical location during emergencies and disasters.
This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 6 March 2025.
