Qld slammed by huge storms, lightning

Destructive winds, flash flooding and large hailstones have battered southeast Queensland, causing major traffic and flight delays for thousands of holidaymakers.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned “several waves of thunderstorms” will be hitting the southeast corner of the sunshine state on Saturday, with large hail, lightning and heavy rain already being recorded.

Giant hail about 4-5cm in size was also reported at Tara on the Western Downs.

The weather carnage comes as a vehicle was struck by lightning while travelling on the Bruce Hwy at Burpengary around 9.20am.

The male driver was taken to Caboolture Hospital in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, a man was treated for minor injuries after the excavator he was on was struck by lightning at a private address at 11.15am at Eudlo on the Sunshine Coast.

He was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital for monitoring.

People flying in and out of Brisbane Airport can also expect delays, as storms continue to be active around the Brisbane area.

Brisbane Airport urged travellers to check their flight status directly with the airline or on the airport’s website.

Gold Coast residents weren’t able to tune into any local FM radio stations and TV signals on Saturday morning.

The issue stemmed from a problem with the transmitter on Mt Tamborine, which was running off of generators the Christmas Day storm.

However, by midday all stations were reportedly back up and running.

Traffic is also reportedly at a standstill on the Bruce Hwy northbound at Burpengary after flash flooding hit the area.

Flash flooding was also impacting roads across the Sunshine Coast, including Beerburrum Rd and Steve Irwin Way.

Beerburrum recorded 110mm in two hours to 11am, while Landsborough recorded 67mm in half an hour to 11.15am.

Down in the Moreton Bay region, while Wamuran in recorded 66mm in an hour to about 9.20am.

Wind gusts of 93km per hour were also recorded at Gympie about noon.

Six people have died and many thousands of homes have been impacted by weather events throughout the holiday period.

More than 27,000 households are still affected, many without power in their homes, with Energex saying only 80 per cent of services had been restored in Queensland’s southeast by Saturday morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning for a three-day heatwave extending through the New Year, with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s in western and central Queensland.

Overnight, temperatures are forecast to sit in the low to high twenties across the state, with conditions beginning to ease in the southeast of the state on Sunday.

Burketown, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Longreach, Mount Isa, Normanton and Winton are all expected to feel the brunt of the heatwave, with residents urged to seek out cool areas, close windows, draw blinds and use fans or airconditioning units.

Alongside high temperatures, two separate thunderstorm warnings were issued, forecasting damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain.

Thunderstorms touched down in the southeast of the state early on Saturday, with the Bureau confirming the storms were making their way further east.

Brisbane City, Sunshine Coast, Somerset, Moreton Bay and Toowoomba residents have been told to prepare for power outages, warned to stay in doors and avoid driving or parking cars under trees.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jonathan How said the “unsettled conditions” are set to continue into the New Year.

In anticipation of the heavy rainfall, the Bureau has issued a flood watch for large parts of southeastern Queensland, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Gympie, Bundaberg and Rockhampton.

“At this stage, we are not expecting wide spread flooding, but areas of heavy thunderstorms could produce flash flooding as well as rapid rises in creeks, rivers and storm drains,” Mr How said.

He attributed the threatening weather to a build up of convective available potential energy amassing in northern NSW and extending all the way up to central Queensland.

Mr How said the storms are set to shift further north in the northeastern gulf of Queensland by New Year’s Eve.

To help support those currently affected, the Queensland government is offering personal hardship payments for eligible residents Logan City Council and Scenic Rim Regional Council areas.

Individuals can receive a grant of $180, and a family of five or more can demand up to $900 to go towards essential items like food, clothing and medicine.

Homeowners can also apply for a structural assistance grant of up to $50,000 for an uninsured home or for owners who have become “income-tested” as a result of damage to their home.

The grants have been made available through the Commonwealth State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, with further plans to funding for reconstruction projects in affected areas.

Queensland federal minister for emergency management Murray Watt said the grants act as extended assistance for Queenslanders in the southeast.

“These payments will help those experiencing hardship due to the storms, as well as supporting clean up and repair efforts for entire communities,” Mr Watt said.

Anyone impacted financially by the storms so far is urged to call the Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 to access support.