Thousands Plunged into Darkness as Powerful Storms Lash New South Wales and Queensland with Hail the Size of Golf Balls!
- Wild weather knocks out power to nearly 5,000 homes, leaving families in the dark
- Hailstones as wide as 4cm pummel regions, causing ‘heartbreaking’ destruction to crops and homes
- Extreme heatwave on the way, with temperatures set to soar to 35C in Brisbane by Thursday
A ferocious supercell storm has brought chaos to New South Wales and Queensland, leaving thousands of residents without power and causing widespread destruction. The wild weather, which brought hailstones the size of golf balls, has been described as ‘heartbreaking’ by farmers who have seen their crops battered.
“So much loss after so much work and outlay,” one farmer wrote on social media, while another said, “This is devastating for so many.”
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) recorded destructive winds, heavy rain, and hail around the southeast of Queensland, with some stones measuring a massive 4cm in Cedar Grove and Rathdowney. The storm knocked out power to around 4,800 homes at its peak, with Energex working to restore power to 123 homes in the region.
In a stark warning, the BoM has upgraded a heatwave warning to “severe” for regions southwest of Mount Isa from Sunday to Wednesday, with temperatures expected to soar to 35C in Brisbane by Thursday. The heatwave is predicted to spread across to the west and south, expanding into New South Wales, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.
“Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions, and people who are unwell,” the BoM website reads. “Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre. Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home.”