Nearly 25,000 Left Without Power in Queensland and Victoria Following Powerful Weather Systems
Approximately 25,000 households in Queensland's southeast were left experiencing outages on the start of the week after intense storm systems swept through the area, generating strong winds hitting over 100 km/h.
Large Hailstones and Extensive Damage
Residents observed large ice chunks as large as 7cm in particular locations. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that multiple regions across the state had been hit with large hailstones.
This afternoon's storm has absolutely smashed our infrastructure!
Emergency crews were focused on reestablishing energy supply throughout the affected regions, with nearly 70 crews working to address the widespread outages.
Southern State's Weather Woes
At the same time, nearly 1,000 energy customers in Victoria also encountered power outages after the metropolitan area recorded its wettest day in 18 months.
Emergency response teams responded to over five hundred calls for help across the region, mainly for structural issues but also for downed trees and inundation.
Hardest Hit Regions
- Werribee region - saw significant weather impact
- Hoppers Crossing - multiple emergency calls
- Wyndham area - 179 help reports
At one point on yesterday, over 28,000 power users in Victoria were lacking electricity.
Climate Outlook
Humid circumstances were predicted to continue along significant areas of Queensland's east this week as a weather pattern continued to pull in damp air against the coast.
Tomorrow was predicted as the heaviest precipitation period, with persistent severe weather risk predicted across different parts of both regions.
Medical Alert
Medical authorities cautioned that there was an increased chance of thunderstorm-induced asthma across the northern rural areas, particularly given the existing atmospheric conditions.
This alert comes after past events where comparable situations led to significant health impacts in the area.
