how strong is cyclone alfred

Cyclone Alfred was a Category 2 tropical cyclone with winds that could gust up to 164 kilometers per hour (about 102 mph) as it approached the southeast Queensland coast in early March 2025. It was a long-lived and erratic cyclone, notable for maintaining its structure and intensity unusually far south along Australia's east coast. At its peak intensity offshore, it reached Category 4 strength with 10-minute mean winds around 165 km/h but weakened to Category 2 by the time it neared landfall. The cyclone brought damaging winds, heavy rainfall with over 800 mm in some areas, flash flooding, coastal erosion, and power outages. It was a significant weather event due to its intensity, unusual path, and the rarity of tropical cyclones striking so far south on Australia's east coast. There was caution about the possibility of increased strength just before landfall, though it mostly remained a Category 2 storm as it made landfall.