Close to 25,000 Left Without Power in Queensland and Victoria Following Intense Storms
Approximately 25,000 households in Queensland's southeast found themselves without power on the start of the week after severe thunderstorms impacted the region, producing strong winds topping 109km/h.
Substantial Frozen Precipitation and Broad Impact
Homeowners reported giant hailstones measuring up to 7 centimeters in certain regions. The Bureau of Meteorology verified that different parts across Queensland had been affected by significant hail.
This afternoon's storm has severely damaged our infrastructure!
Response teams were working to restore power throughout the affected regions, with approximately seventy teams deployed to manage the widespread outages.
Victoria's Weather Woes
Simultaneously, around one thousand residents in Victoria also experienced electricity disruptions after Melbourne experienced its most precipitation in 18 months.
Emergency response teams received over five hundred requests for assistance across the area, mainly for structural issues but also for fallen timber and water accumulation.
Hardest Hit Areas
- Werribee - recorded significant storm damage
- Hoppers Crossing - numerous rescue reports
- Wyndham region - over 175 help reports
At one point on yesterday, over 28k energy customers in Victoria were without power.
Climate Outlook
Moist weather were predicted to continue along much of the state's eastern regions this next several days as a atmospheric system continued to attract humidity against the coast.
Tuesday was expected to become the wettest day, with persistent severe weather risk predicted across different parts of both states.
Safety Concern
Medical authorities alerted that there was an increased chance of epidemic thunderstorm asthma across the northern rural areas, especially given the current weather patterns.
This warning comes after previous incidents where analogous circumstances led to substantial respiratory problems in the state.
