Cyclone Alfred in Australia: What makes it rare and potentially more dangerous

Sub :Geo

Sec: Physical geo

Context:

Cyclone Alfred is a rare event impacting Australia’s southeastern coast, particularly Queensland and northern New South Wales.
This storm is unusual for two key reasons: it has formed further south than typical cyclones and is moving slowly, which makes it more dangerous.
The fact that Alfred is targeting densely populated areas, including Brisbane (Australia’s third-largest city), means that over four million people are potentially at risk.

Cyclone Alfred’s Path and Intensity:

Cyclone Alfred is currently classified as a category 2 storm, based on its wind intensity.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, sustained winds near the cyclone’s centre are reaching 95 km/h, with gusts up to 130 km/h.
The cyclone is expected to affect several regions, including:
- Double Island Point (Queensland)
- Grafton (New South Wales)
- Major cities such as Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, and Ballina.
Alfred’s slow movement means it will dump significant rainfall over the affected areas, potentially causing severe flooding and coastal erosion.

Unusual Nature of Cyclone Alfred:

Cyclones are usually confined to tropical zones, making the storm’s formation southward highly unusual. Cyclones typically occur in Australia’s northern regions, but Cyclone Alfred is an exception.
It is striking areas that are not typically prone to such storms, such as southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The shift towards these southern regions increases the vulnerability of areas unprepared for such weather conditions.
The last significant cyclone in the Gold Coast area was Cyclone Zoe in 1974.

Why is Cyclone Alfred Slow:

Alfred’s slow movement is due to weak steering winds. The winds that typically guide the storm are not strong enough to push it forward quickly.
This lack of strong winds is why Alfred is taking longer to move, leading to greater destruction.

Tropical Cyclones:

Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large-scale destruction due to violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surge.
They are irregular wind movements involving closed circulation of air around a low-pressure centre. This closed air circulation is a result of rapid upward movement of hot air which is subjected to Coriolis force.

Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclone Formation