Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The category 2 storm, which could now reach the coast as a category 1, is still expected to maintain its intensity despite the possibility of it being downgraded.Sustained winds near the storm’s centre were holding steady at 95km/h on Friday morning, the weather bureau said, while wind gusts up to 130km/h had been recorded. Residents in north-east NSW have been warned that they could face winds exceeding 100km/h.More than 43,000 homes were without power on Friday morning. Power may not return for several days, with conditions too dangerous for crews to go out in and conduct repairs.More than 300 NSW schools, along with TAFEs and childcare centres, have been closed until at least Monday but could be shut longer if Alfred makes landfall later than expected.With Alfred’s delayed arrival came warnings from authorities that severe weather conditions, including damaging gale force winds of more than 100km/h and hundreds of millimetres of rainfall daily, would be prolonged the slower the first tropical cyclone to hit NSW since 1990 made its way towards land.On early Friday morning, Alfred was about 165 kilometres east of Brisbane and 140 kilometres east to north-east of the Gold Coast. It’s moving at a speed of 6km/h, a marked decrease from earlier in the week when it was tracking towards the coast at 11km/h.A monster 17-metre wave was recorded near Brisbane at the Moreton Bay monitoring site on Friday morning, as the coast was battered with monstrous swells. Weather conditions are expected to worsen across Friday as winds pick up and heavy rain sets in. Hundreds of millimetres of rain could fall daily, with some parts of north-east NSW forecast to be drenched with up to 800 millimetres of rain over several days. The weather bureau has warned widespread heavy rainfall could lead to life-threatening flash flooding.NSW Deputy Premier Prue Carr on Friday said the cyclone’s changing forecast had led to heightened tensions.Loading“There is a significant amount of anxiety in the community as we wait for this,” she said.SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said frontline crews have responded to 1100 incidents in the past 24 hours, including at least three flood rescues as low-lying areas become “inundated” with water.“We’re already getting flood rescue calls this early into the incident, and this situation will deteriorate in the next 24 to 48 hours … I can’t be clearer … do not drive through flood waters,” he said.“Whilst some of the overnight conditions may not have been as bad as people may have expected … now is not the time to be complacent.”There are currently 23 areas under evacuation warnings, with flash flooding closing off evacuation routes in low-lying areas.Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jane Golding said regions already battered by rain will receive a deluge tonight.“We will see an escalation or a deterioration overnight, as Cylone Alfred moves close,” she said.LoadingWinds greater than 155km/h are expected north of Cape Byron, while waves up to nine metres high have been recorded.“Those large, powerful waves mean very dangerous conditions along the coast and beaches,” she said.The Bureau of Meteorology will now provide updates hourly instead of every three hours.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
