Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Christmas lightning storms zap Queensland
More than 600,000 bolts of lightning slammed into Queensland over the Christmas period causing widespread power outages, Energex says.
December 26, 2019
Thunderstorms have unleashed 620,000 bolts of lightning on Queensland over Christmas, causing widespread power outages but no significant injuries.
Energex crews were kept busy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day restoring power to 21,500 homes as a series of thunderstorms rolled across southeast Queensland.
“It was all lightning damage,” Energex spokesman Danny Donald told AAP.
“Most went out on Christmas Eve but they were back up by the morning.”
Mr Donald said the state’s power grid was much like the wiring in a house but on a bigger scale.
“Like when your toaster trips a fuse at home, our lightning arresters soak up the excess charge when they’re struck.”
“They’ll generally blow as they do their job and then our crews replace them,” he added.
Hundreds of aerials across the state record every bolt of lightning to provide Energex with an early warning system for potential damage.
“It can also record ground versus cloud strikes,” Mr Donald said.
Paramedics treated eleven people for minor injuries following lightning strikes but none required transport to a hospital, Queensland Ambulance said.
Ten of those were campers at Devereux Creek, near Mackay, who reportedly “felt the ground shake” after lightning struck a nearby tree.