Weather News

Thousands of homes blacked out as storms drench SE Qld

The storm front hit Brisbane about 7pm (AEST), causing major blackouts on the city's westside and northside. - ABC

About 32,000 homes and businesses lost power as a series of thunderstorms merged last night to dump heavy rain and hail across south-east Queensland.

The storm front built up at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, and merged with a series of storms building up in northern New South Wales.

It hit Ipswich at about 6pm (AEST), dumping about 40 millimetres of rain in less than an hour and causing localised flooding.

The storm front hit Brisbane about 7pm (AEST), causing major blackouts on the city's westside and northside.

Energex says the worst affected areas were Brisbane's inner-west and northern suburbs and northern Moreton Bay.

More than 600 homes on the Gold Coast are without power.

Energex says residents at Bundall, Benowa and Ashmore lost supply around 3am (AEST) although it was not storm related.

Weather bureau spokesman Geoff Doueal says it dumped heavy rain on the northside.

"Around Mitchelton they got 30 to 40 [millimetres] and almost the 60 [millimetres] coming towards Aspley," he said.

The State Emergency Service (SES) attended 21 jobs from Ipswich to Redcliffe to fix leaking roofs, but the region was spared from major damage.

Parts of the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, received hail and the storms.

Llewellyn Wacker, who farms at Tenthill in the Lockyer Valley, says they got a big dump of rain and plenty of hail.

"The lawn got white in no time, not just too much damage ... there was water everywhere," he said.

Another resident near Gatton says hail hit parts of the Lockyer Valley.

"It just pelted down, the ground was absolutely white," she said.

"You could hear it coming through the bushes - it was roaring.

"It blew right under the carport, through the car, the caravan copped it, got a few dints in it."

- ABC

© ABC 2008

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