Thunderstorm Terror: Queensland Braces for Another Day of Destruction as Large Hail, Damaging Winds and Flash Flooding Predicted
- Severe thunderstorms expected to hit southeast Queensland, with large hail, damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall predicted
- Saturday expected to be the worst day, with storms likely to bring flash flooding and dangerous conditions
- Residents warned to prepare for power outages and property damage, with the Bureau of Meteorology urging people to stay up to date with severe weather warnings
Queenslanders are bracing for another day of destruction as severe thunderstorms are predicted to hit the state’s southeast. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of large hail, damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall, with flash flooding expected to cause chaos on Saturday.
“There is a marginal chance we could see some severe thunderstorms in the southeast on Thursday, likely near the NSW border including the Gold Coast,” said senior meteorologist Shane Kennedy. “And that could see large hail and damaging wind gusts on Thursday, and then from Friday to Sunday severe thunderstorms are possible all through the southeast for those three days but peaking on the Saturday.”
Kennedy warned that Saturday’s storms could bring not only large hail and damaging wind gusts but also heavy rainfall that could cause flash-flooding. “So generally an unsettled and unstable next few days but that peak day is expected to be on Saturday and that will be a combination of the environment being particularly supportive on that day, which is extra unstable, and conditions supportive of severe thunderstorms,” he said.
The severe weather is expected to extend from as far north as Emerald, east of Longreach and then focusing more through the Darling Downs, the Granite Belt and into the southeast coast district. Kennedy said storms could be more likely inland but there is a chance storms could travel towards the coast throughout the day.
Residents are still reeling from the aftermath of Sunday’s storms, which brought heavy rainfall, damaging winds and large hail, damaging homes and leaving thousands without power. A man in his 20s sustained back injuries when a tree reportedly fell onto his house, and a house was blown off its stumps in Brisbane’s West End.
The Bureau of Meteorology has come under fire for its new website, which has been criticized for being confusing and harder to read. Environment minister Murray Watt has raised public concerns with the updated website, saying “it’s clear that the new BOM website is not meeting many users’ expectations, with a significant range of feedback provided to the Bureau in recent days.”
Residents are urged to stay up to date with severe weather warnings in their areas, which will be published on the BOM’s website. With the storm season far from over, Queenslanders are advised to be prepared for the worst and to take any necessary precautions to protect themselves and their property.