Monstrous Storm Unleashes Havoc on Queensland
A ferocious storm system tore through Queensland on Monday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake and plunging nearly 100,000 households into darkness across the state. The extreme weather event, which rolled over Brisbane, brought with it devastating 110km/h winds and colossal 12cm hail, causing widespread damage to property and infrastructure.
Widespread Damage and Emergency Response
Queensland's State Emergency Services (SES) were inundated with approximately 2,200 calls for assistance in the hours leading to 2.30am Tuesday. A significant majority of these calls, more than two-thirds, were related to structural damage to homes and buildings, including roofs being stripped away and windows shattered. The Brisbane area and its surrounding suburbs bore the brunt of the impact, with police reporting particularly significant damage on Bribie Island.
Residents described scenes of chaos, with one Bribie Island local, Heather, telling Brisbane’s 4BC program, "Look, from everything we’ve seen, it’s trees down, roofs off. It’s just an absolute mess." The powerful winds were strong enough to flip over a car, and countless properties sustained substantial harm from both the enormous hailstones and fallen trees.
Massive Power Outages and Restoration Efforts
The energy supplier Energex, which serves over 1.4 million customers in south-east Queensland, reported that the nearly 100,000 power outages stretched from the Gold Coast up to Gympie, north of the Sunshine Coast. Danny Donald, a media spokesperson for Energex, explained that the high winds were the primary culprit for the blackouts, causing debris to fly hundreds of metres and damage the network. He also noted that the storm generated a staggering more than 880,000 lightning strikes.
While crews worked tirelessly through the night to restore power to 70,000 customers, Donald warned that those in the hardest-hit areas, such as the Moreton Bay region, should prepare to be without electricity for at least a day or two. He advised residents to plan ahead for the prolonged disruption.
Forecast of More Severe Weather to Come
According to Jonathan How, a forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the wild weather is far from over. He confirmed that suburbs including Manly, Ferny Hills, and Alexandra Hills were pelted with hail measuring 11 to 12cm in diameter, while Brisbane airport recorded wind gusts of 107km/h.
How stated that thunderstorms are expected to continue across large parts of eastern Australia on Tuesday, particularly affecting the Gold Coast scenic rim region, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Wide Bay area. These storms carry the threat of heavy rainfall, large hail, and flash flooding. Compounding the issue, the state is also facing a week of unusually hot weather, with temperatures forecast to be 10C above average, leading to warm nights likely to persist until the weekend.
