Dangerous storms with the potential to unleash flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds have formed over southeast Queensland.

October 28, 2020

Dangerous storms have formed over parts of southeast Queensland, with warnings they may lead to flash flooding, giant hail and destructive winds.

The severe thunderstorms are moving southeast towards the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture, north of Brisbane.

Damaging winds, oversized hailstones and torrential rain that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding are likely, the Bureau of Meteorology warned on Wednesday.

The storms are currently north and west of Gympie, east of Noosa and north of Brisbane.

Another storm has formed at Logan, south of Brisbane, and is heading towards the Gold Coast.

The bureau warns the storm at Proston, west of Gympie, may produce destructive winds in excess of 125km/h.

People in all areas are advised to move their cars undercover and secure loose outdoor items.

A general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for the Wide Bay and Burnett, Southeast Coast and parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Capricornia and Darling Downs and Granite Belt districts.

It comes a day after a month’s worth of rain and tennis ball-sized hailstones were dumped from the Darling Downs to the Sunshine Coast.

Beachmere, near Caboolture, recorded 80mm of rain in an hour on Tuesday, while 70mm bucketed down on The Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane.

Flash flooding inundated some city areas at the height of the storms, causing traffic delays and one driver to be stranded on the roof of his car.

“It was the wettest October day for the city since 2010,” meteorologist Rosa Hoff said.

Flooding was also reported in Gatton, east of Toowoomba, and Beachmere.

Areas near Noosa and Gympie, north of the Sunshine Coast, were pelted with hail reportedly up to the size of a tennis ball.