Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred recap: Take a look at all the latest information as the extreme weather continues

“Flooding is our major concern, particularly in that area in the southern part of Queensland and in northern NSW,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have grave concerns for a man missing in flood waters. Police are doing an incredible job continuing that search.

“The advice remains if it’s flooded, forget it. We can’t emphasise that too much.

“There are a number of areas across Queensland and NSW where people are being asked to evacuate.

“It’s important that if the SES advise you to evacuate by a certain time, you do so.”

“While it has been downgraded, very serious risks remain, so it is important that people do not take this downgrading as a reason for complacency,” Mr Albanese said.

“Its impact will be serious and will intensify over coming hours and indeed over coming days.

“It will still bring strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and dangerous conditions across south-east Queensland and north-east NSW over this weekend

“Now is the time to remain alert, stay inside and look after each other. Remain safe in your home unless you’ve been advised to evacuate.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has provided an update from the National Situation Room.

“Right now, very clearly, we need to stick together and continue to look after each other,” Mr Albanese said.

“The impacts are already being felt and there is worse to come in the hours ahead.

“We must remain vigilant. This is a very serious weather event. Please do not go outside if that is the act at your location.

“Stay out of flood waters, do not risk it. These winds are dangerous as well.

“Be conscious of the fact that debris can fall and can cause serious harm.

“We’ve done the preparation with you and we’ll be with you through this. That’s the message of my government. We have your back.”

Brisbane cafe owner Quat Vu has spent days preparing and is as ready as he can be.

His Eightysix Cafe was inundated during the 2022 floods which devastated more than 20,000 homes and caused $2 billion in damage.

“We know what to expect and we had a bit more time to prepare,” Mr Vu told AAP.

Blue translucent tarps line his brick cafe’s windows, hunkered down with lines of yellow and white sandbags.

“We had (sandbags) to a certain height but then we got the latest news about what the cyclone is doing and how it is going to dump a lot more rain so we’re just getting ready,” he said.

Queensland police have seized nearly $630,000 in illegal goods and arrested two men while they were conducting safety patrols during now ex Cyclone Alfred.

Just after 11.30am on Newcastle Street, officers observed a man on a motorbike place a bag in a parked silver VW Golf before driving from the scene.

“Police intercepted the vehicle, finding 2.1kg of methamphetamine, 22.6 grams of heroin, a small quantity of cannabis and cash, mobile phones, a taser and flick knife,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said.

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“Ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred is now expected to move inland over the coming 12 to 24 hours, and by this evening it will move north of Toowoomba and further inland,” Matt Collopy from the BOM said.

“This evening, a severe weather warning remains in place across the southeast, with the risk of locally heavy to intense rainfall and the potential for damaging wind gusts continuing.

“The primary concern within the severe weather warning is for those locally intense and very heavy rainfall amounts,” he said, adding wind and thunderstorms still could bring risk.

“There remains a real risk of flooding in the days ahead,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“This isn’t anything that this part of the state hasn’t dealt with before.

“It’s a challenge that Queenslanders have risen to time and time again, and it’s a challenge that they’ll rise to yet again this time.”

“We’re currently approaching a quarter of a million homes without power,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“That’s the single biggest loss we have seen in over a decade since Oswald.

“The work needed to reconnect that is significant.

“Queenslanders need to know thatright now there are damage assessments being done and already crews are being mobilised to get that job done.

“A quarter of a million homes without power is a massive task, but it’s a massive task that they are up to.”

“The big challenge in the next few days is rainfall,” Mr Crisafulli saif.

“Just to give you an indication of what occurred in the past 19 hours, we’ve had 240mm recorded at Springbrook, 200mm at Tallebudgera and 100mm at Mount Cotton.

“The challenges now flash flooding and creek rises.

“They remain a real prospect, with some of the rainfall predicted in the days ahead.

“We have to be ready for that prospect and with already swollen catchments, the risk of flash flooding remains.”

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli is providing an update on ex-cyclone Alfred.

“Our message this morning to Queenslanders is firstly one of gratitude and secondly is one to continue to watch, because there are still significant challenges ahead for this event,” he said on Saturday morning.

“Those four key challenges waves, wind, rainfall and flooding have been those four stages that different areas have worked through at different times.

“I want to start with wind. Overnight. We recorded some wind speeds, including 107km of the Gold Coast Seaway, 93km/h at the Brisbane Airport and 85km/h at Redcliffe.

“We have seen some damageto some buildings. We’ve seen the loss of a roof of one of the apartment buildings, one of the older buildings on the Gold Coast.

“We’ve had quite a few instances oftrees falling on homes and cars and power lines to waves.”