Close to 25,000 Left Without Electricity in Queensland and Victoria Following Powerful Storms
Approximately 25,000 homes in Queensland's southeast found themselves experiencing outages on the start of the week after severe thunderstorms swept through the state, generating wind gusts topping 109km/h.
Substantial Hailstones and Broad Damage
Locals witnessed large ice chunks measuring up to 7cm in certain regions. The Bureau of Meteorology announced that multiple regions across Queensland had been hit with large hailstones.
Today's weather system has severely damaged our power system!
Emergency crews were focused on reestablishing energy supply throughout the damaged zones, with approximately seventy teams working to manage the widespread outages.
Southern State's Weather Woes
At the same time, approximately one thousand households in the southern state also experienced electricity disruptions after the capital city experienced its heaviest rainfall in 18 months.
State Emergency Services handled over five hundred emergency reports across the area, mainly for building damage but also for collapsed vegetation and inundation.
Hardest Hit Locations
- Werribee region - experienced considerable destruction
- Hoppers Crossing - numerous rescue reports
- Wyndham - 179 emergency requests
During the peak on Sunday, in excess of 28,000 energy customers in Victoria were experiencing outages.
Meteorological Predictions
Damp conditions were forecast to persist along significant areas of eastern Queensland this week as a weather pattern continued to pull in damp air against the coast.
Tomorrow was forecast to be the wettest day, with ongoing storm activity predicted across multiple regions of both regions.
Medical Alert
Health officials alerted that there was an higher risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma across the countryside regions, specifically given the existing atmospheric conditions.
This alert comes after historical occurrences where comparable situations led to substantial respiratory problems in the region.
