Heavy thunderstorms with torrential rain, large hail and strong winds hit eastern Australia today, days after another storm hit the region during the Christmas holidays.
The brunt of the storm is hitting south-east Queensland. It is experiencing its second major storm in a week, with heatwaves in northern and western Australia. Temperatures in Marble Bar will reach 49°C on Saturday, according to the forecast
Some areas received around 110 millimetres of rainfall in two hours this morning, the monthly norm, and hailstones of up to 6 centimetres were seen.
The bad weather will linger for a few more days, but mild weather is forecast for the south-east (including Sydney) on Sunday as Australia’s largest city prepares for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“We’re now entering another active period of thunderstorms,” David Grant, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology, said at a press briefing. “There is potential for further isolated, very dangerous thunderstorms.”
These storms followed severe weather some days earlier, on 25 and 26 December, which killed 10 people and cut power to tens of thousands of homes in the east of the country.
About 28,000 homes are still without power and the latest storms will hamper efforts to restore power, Queensland Premier Steven Miles told reporters.
