Storms leave thousands without power and close 11 schools in south-east Queensland
Severe thunderstorms on Wednesday night caused widespread power outages, tree damage and the closure of 11 schools in Logan, while further storms are forecast for Thursday.
Severe thunderstorms struck south-east Queensland on Wednesday night, leaving about 49,000 residents in the Logan area without electricity and prompting the closure of 11 schools in the region. The storms produced 50–80 millimetres of rain in half an hour, flash flooding and wind gusts up to 96 km/h, which felled trees, damaged roofs and caused traffic disruptions.
State Emergency Service crews responded to more than 320 assistance requests across the southeast, most of which involved fallen trees blocking property access or damaging structures. Among the calls, 243 originated from Logan City. A fallen tree knocked out traffic lights and struck vehicles on Aspen Circuit in Logan Reserve, while another tree hit cars on Logan Road in Eight Mile Plains.
The affected schools include Burrowes State School, Corymbia State School, Crestmead State School, Jimboomba State School, Logan Village State School, Marsden State High School, Marsden State School, South Rock State School, Yarrabilba State School, Yarrabilba State Secondary College and Yugumbir State School.
"Today we still are seeing a lot of tropical moisture sticking around the east coast and that does mean that there’s a chance of thunderstorms again across much of central and south-east Queensland, as well as north-east and eastern parts of New South Wales," meteorologist Jonathan How said.
"We could see severe thunderstorms developing again this afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall, damaging winds and large hail, and areas which could be impacted later today include Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, as well as places like Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and inland towards the Darling Downs. So we are reminding communities to keep across those latest forecasts and warnings and the radar to the rest of today, with the possibility of more severe thunderstorms to come."
How added that conditions are expected to ease on Friday, but another round of thunderstorms may develop over the weekend as a new surface trough moves inland.