The up to 300km-wide storm is threatening the southeastern part of Australia and the northern coast of New South Wales as a type of meteorological mixture, The Australian reported.
In scientific terms, a tropical storm is a combination of three parts - the rain band, the eye and the storm's circulation - that suck air into the center clockwise and exiting above in the opposite direction. The storms become dangerous due to concentrated energy in the center, with the heaviest rain and winds around the storm's circulation.
Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore told The Australian that around the storm's circulation, thunderstorms could extend up to 15 km or higher into the atmosphere, creating a destructive weather system.
But Alfred is not a typical tropical storm. Storm Alfred forms in the deep tropics before moving to the subtropics.
What makes Alfred different from conventional tropical cyclones is that they are more widespread and their energy is much more distributed, says Dr. Andrew Tupper, a consulting meteorologist at Natural Hazards Consulting.
Thats because Alfred is like the intersection between a tropical storm and an average hydrangeas. In an average latitude storm, the energy is much more widely distributed and they are often not too intense in the middle but affect a much larger area, he said.
The most intense storm has been in Brisbane, but the most recent made landfall directly in the city in 2014.
The slow progress of Alfred is facilitating storm preparedness across southeastern Australia and northern New South Wales. However, moving slowly also means that this Category 2 storm could strengthen upon landfall.
According to the latest storm report from the Daily Telegraph, Typhoon Alfred is expected to make landfall between Maroochydore and Coolangatta in Australia on the afternoon of March 7.
Slowing down can sometimes lead to a level increase, but only when the environment is favorable, such as sea temperatures above 27 degrees Celsius, without strong winds and dry air, says weather expert Dean Narramore. Alfred has dry air and sea water temperatures around 25-26 degrees Celsius, which are suitable for maintaining the intensity of a Category 2 storm, so it may not be upgraded at this stage."
