Sharjah24 - AFP: As Cyclone Alfred approached Australia's rain-and wind-whipped east coast on Saturday, it deteriorated into a tropical low, leaving hundreds of thousands of residences without electricity.
Update on the former tropical cyclone
The former tropical cyclone lay about 65 kilometres (40 miles) off the coast of Queensland's capital, Brisbane, according to government forecasters in a final update.
Storm movement and weakening
Now deprived of its gale-force winds, the storm was slowly moving north and was expected to cross over the mainland later in the morning.
Continued heavy rainfall
Despite its weakening, heavy rainfall is likely to continue over southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales during the weekend, as stated by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Flooding concerns
The rains could still lead to "dangerous and life-threatening" flash flooding across the 400-kilometre (250-mile) stretch of coastline straddling the two states.
Missing person incident
One man was reported missing after his four-wheel drive vehicle was swept off a bridge into a rain-swollen river the previous day in northern New South Wales. He clambered out of the vehicle and attempted to cling to a branch but was swept away and has not been seen since, according to police.
Power outages
A staggering number of more than 239,000 properties in southeast Queensland were without power on Saturday morning after winds toppled power lines or blew trees and debris into them, reported utility group Energex. It had been too dangerous for crews to work in some blacked-out areas, as noted by Energex Brisbane area manager Chris Graham in a statement to national broadcaster ABC.
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