Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
Massive hailstones hit southeast Qld

Dangerous storms have dumped tennis ball-sized hailstones on parts of southeast Queensland, with one resident in Logan reporting a 14cm hailstone.

October 31, 2020

Queensland has been smashed by tennis ball-sized hailstones with a warning more are likely to fall as a series of dangerous supercell thunderstorms race across the state’s southeast.

Severe thunderstorms formed along the Great Dividing Range from the NSW border to Wide Bay, north of the Sunshine Coast, on Saturday before pushing towards the coast throughout the afternoon.

More are expected during the evening, the Bureau of Meteorology warns.

“The situation is volatile and continuing to change quickly,” a spokesman said.

“Some of these storms are fast-moving and fast-forming, so people should consider whether they need to be outside or on the road at the moment.”

“These thunderstorms are a significant threat to property and life,” the bureau tweeted.

Giant 14cm hail has been reported in Logan, south of Brisbane.

Hail up to 7cm in diameter fell at Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley, west of the city.

“We don’t often see severe storms on this scale,” meteorologist Lauren Pattie told AAP.

“For us to get a number supercell thunderstorms all with large to giant hail, significant wind gusts, and the damage from that, across that wide area is exceptional.”

A roof reportedly collapsed in Logan, and dozens of photos and videos of battered cars and homes have been posted on social media.

Queensland Fire And Emergency Service reports more than 1300 people have called for help.

Trains from Nerang & Kuraby on the Gold Coast have been suspended due to fallen powerlines.

Energex reports more than 42,000 electricity users are without power.

Severe thunderstorm warnings remain in place for Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Redland City, Moreton Bay, parts of Ipswich and Gympie, Somerset, South Burnett, the Scenic Rim, and the Sunshine Coast.

People are urged to move cars undercover, secure loose outdoor items and stay indoors.

A general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for Wide Bay and Burnett, Southeast Coast and parts of Capricornia and Darling Downs and Granite Belt Forecast Districts.

The wild weather come less than a week after two days of storms delivered a month worth of rain and flash flooding to some parts of the state, including Brisbane.

Tennis ball-sized hailstones pummelled the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Beachmere, near Caboolture, recorded 80mm of rain in an hour and 70mm fell on the Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane.

Tiaro, north of the Sunshine Coast, recorded 51mm in an hour, with 22mm of it falling in five minutes.

Flash flooding affected some Brisbane areas at the height of the storms on Tuesday, which was the wettest October day in the city since 2010.

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