Tropical Cyclone Alfred news and updates, Friday March 7

Thank you for tuning into our live blog for all the latest on Cyclone Alfred.

Scroll down to catch up on Friday’s events as they happened.

As of 7pm AEST, the Bureau of Meteorology said Cyclone Alfred is located 95 km east of Brisbane and 75 km north-east of Gold Coast.

It is still a category 2 system, travelling at 6km/h.

Alfred is most likely to cross over the Moreton Bay Islands on Saturday morning before crossing the mainland coast, between Noosa and Beenleigh, later in the day.

Heavy rainfall and wind are expected tonight and over the weekend.

For all the latest updates, head to the bureau.

The sewerage network in Casino, a town on the Richmond River, has reached its capacity and is at risk of overflowing due to heavy rain.

The Richmond Valley Council issued the alert to locals and guranteed public health and safety remained a top priority as they monitor the situation.

Residents who notice any sewer blockages should report them by calling 6660 0300.

A Gold Coast resident has caught on camera the moment a tree caught fire near her home amid crazy cyclonic conditions.

Jess Baker-Smith uploaded a video to TikTok that showed a going up in flames close to powerlines.

As bright orange flames could be seen licking the powerlines, a loud explosion occurred.

Fire crews were called out to put it out and responded within minutes.

The Queensland Fire Department has dealt with more than 20 incidents today.

As night begins to set in, here’s what the city of Brisbane looks like ahead of Cyclone Alfred making landfall on Saturday morning.

These shots have been taken from the Mount Coot-tha Summit Lookout.

A Gold Coast resident has recorded a Mr Whippy van driving past homes with the iconic tune ringing out.

“Cyclone Alfred is just hours away and Mr Whippy is out here hustling,” Shania Molloy captioned a video she uploaded to TikTok.

“Respect the grind, but also, read the room.”

While other users agreed with Ms Molloy, some saw it as a last chance to make some money “before the van blows away”.

“Why not? Everyone’s home. Might be a good time for some comfort food,” another user said.

“Will not stand for mr whippy slander.. anytime is good time for ice cream,” a third added.

Another said: “That’s actually brilliant. It would cheer my kids right up and break up the awfulness with a little happiness.”

“This would’ve made my kids day after being stuck inside all day,” someone else said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out an April 12 election that was expected to be called this weekend.

The Government is instead focused on dealing with Cyclone Alfred’s imminent landfall and the effect on Brisbane, the Gold Coast and northern NSW.

This means Treasurer Jim Chalmers could certainly deliver a budget on March 25 as scheduled.

Three senior government sources told The Nightly Mr Albanese would not call the election this weekend.

A video uploaded to TikTok has shown insane scenes down at Surfers Paradise Beach at 11am on Friday.

The intense wind and rainfall has eroded much of the beach away leaving a huge drop off that looks like the side of a cliff.

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Farmers on the North Coast are getting ready for Alfred to make landfall with many already moving their animals to safer ground.

NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty thanked people for being swift with their planning.

“We thank people for being prepared for this kind of scenario, people have been moving their animals, they have been enacting their plans across this region,” she said.

There is an evacuation centre at Casino for larger animals like horses to take cover.

Producers can take their livestock on travelling stock routes that have been opened.

Farmers can call the hotline on 1800 814 647 for help.

Despite ongoing warnings for residents in the cyclone zone to take shelter, some people are still ignoring those warnings.

Those thrillseekers are eager to check out wild cyclonic conditions in a region that typically doesn’t see weather events like Alfred.