Brisbane storms and hail leave nearly 100,000 without power as trees downed and roofs stripped

Severe Storms Bring Chaos to Brisbane, Leaving Thousands Without Power

A powerful storm system swept through Queensland on Monday, causing widespread destruction and leaving nearly 100,000 households without power. The eye of the storm brought with it gusty winds of up to 110km/h and hail as large as 12cm in diameter, causing significant damage to trees, roofs, and buildings.

The full extent of the damage is only now coming into view, with Queensland SES officials reporting over 2,200 calls in the hours leading up to 2.30am on Tuesday. The majority of these calls were related to structural issues, such as damaged roofs and windows, particularly in the Brisbane area and surrounding suburbs.

Bribie Island was one of the worst-affected areas, with residents describing scenes of absolute devastation. "It's just an absolute mess," said Heather, a resident of Bribie Island. The island's infrastructure is still reeling from the storm, with over 48,000 customers without power at the time.

Energex, the energy supplier for south-east Queensland, reported nearly 100,000 outages stretching from the Gold Coast to Gympie. While crews worked around the clock to restore power, officials warned that it could take up to two days for all affected areas to be back online.

The storm's impact was exacerbated by strong winds, which brought down trees and roofed homes. "Winds are the biggest contributor to outages during storms," said a media spokesperson for Energex. The company recorded over 880,000 lightning strikes in just a few hours, making it one of the most active storm systems on record.

The wild weather is expected to continue throughout Tuesday, with thunderstorms forecast across eastern Australia and heavy rainfall, hail, and flash flooding possible in some areas. Temperatures are also set to soar, reaching up to 10C above average in parts of the east coast, leading to warm nights that could last all the way through the weekend.

As Queenslanders deal with the aftermath of Monday's storms, officials are urging residents to stay safe and prepared for further disruptions. With thousands still without power, it's clear that this is an event that will be felt for days to come.

.. this storm in Brisbane has been crazy! 100k+ households left without power? That's like half the city or something . I feel bad for all those people who are struggling to cope, especially with the infrastructure still down on Bribie Island . And it's not just the power outages, the whole area looks like a war zone... trees down everywhere, roofs ripped off, that's some scary stuff .

I'm worried about the thousands of people who are still without power, especially with the heat forecast to rise this week . I hope Energex can get everything sorted out as soon as possible. And the news reports keep saying it could take up to two days for all areas to be back online? That's like a whole weekend lost... not fun .

I'm just glad no one has reported any fatalities or serious injuries yet, fingers crossed that's the case . Still, this storm was some nasty weather, and I'm sure Queenslanders will be talking about it for ages .

I'm so sorry to hear about Brisbane getting pummeled by those severe storms ! I can only imagine how chaotic it must've been with 100k households left without power . It's insane that Energex had to deal with over 880k lightning strikes - that's just crazy . Hopefully, the crews get everything sorted out soon so people can get back to their daily lives . I feel bad for Bribie Island, though - it sounds like they got absolutely hammered by the storm . Fingers crossed everyone stays safe and warm throughout this wild weather .

just can't believe how quickly this storm turned things upside down, 100k+ households left in the dark... and with the weekend looking like it's gonna be just as wild . gotta give props to the crews out there working day & night to get power back on . hope everyone stays safe & warm till it passes ️.

OMG can't believe what I'm reading about Brisbane! 110km/h winds? That's crazy! how do people even survive with damage like that on a roof? And 48,000 customers without power on Bribie Island alone?! it's like a real-life video game with all this destruction. need to hope everyone is safe and help is on the way soon!

omg u guys cant believe what happened in brisbane yesterday?? 100k homes left without power its like the whole city went dark!! i was literally checking my phone nonstop waiting for updates on when they'd get the power back on and honestly its just so frustrating...i mean i know these storms can be intense but come on 110km/h winds? hail as big as 12cm? thats wild!!! anyway i feel for all the ppl who lost their roofs & trees & whatnot...its like the whole island of bribie was devastated lol i heard the infra is still reeling from it...anyway lets just say i'll be enjoying my power outage for a hot minute longer than i thought lol

ugh i cant believe another storm brings our city to a standstill . 100k households without power is just crazy, imagine having to wait 2 whole days to get back online . it's not just the power outage thats a problem tho, its the fact that our infrastructure is so fragile and can't even handle a simple storm. we need better emergency preparedness and infrastructure in place . it's time for us to rethink how we're building our homes and cities, and make sure they can withstand the weather conditions .

Ugh I'm not surprised by all these smart tech gadgets that can't even handle a simple storm... like that fancy weather app on my phone was totally useless during the storm Anyone else's weather alerts were just a bunch of generic messages saying "severe weather expected" without any actual details or warnings? I mean, who knew they'd actually be out for TWO DAYS ?! The lack of basic preparedness and disaster response planning is just staggering...

Ugh this storm thingy is soooo crazy! 100k people without power is like a whole lotta no electricity and I can only imagine how scary it must've been living on Bribie Island, it sounds like total chaos . Trees down, roofs off, buildings all messed up... 2 days to get everything back online? that's just not right . And the worst part is the weather's still coming at us, more rain, hail, and heat . The thought of thousands stuck in the dark for so long is no joke, gotta feel for those Queenslanders .

The sheer magnitude of destruction caused by these severe storms in Brisbane is nothing short of alarming. The scale of the damage, with over 100,000 households left without power, is a stark reminder of the unpredictability of nature's fury. It's disheartening to see entire neighborhoods reduced to chaos, with residents like Heather describing scenes that are absolutely devastating.

The fact that over 48,000 customers on Bribie Island alone were without power at one point speaks to the severity of the situation. It's crucial that utility crews work around the clock to restore power, but it will likely take up to two days for all affected areas to be back online. The psychological impact on residents, particularly those who have experienced property damage or displacement, cannot be overstated.

As the storm system continues to wreak havoc across eastern Australia, officials' calls for residents to stay safe and prepared are prudent indeed. It's essential that Queenslanders prioritize their well-being during this trying period and take necessary precautions to mitigate further disruptions.

omg what a mess 100k ppl w/o power? thats crazy! i hope everyone stays safe n sound these storm systems r getting more intense by the day... gotta feel fer the ppl in brisbane & surrounding suburbs who got hit hard. gotta give it to the SES crew for respondin fast, tho

Omg, can you believe what happened in Brisbane? I'm shocked by the extent of the damage, 100k+ households without power is insane! The strong winds and hail were so destructive, it's heartbreaking to see trees down and roofs ripped off houses . And now with thunderstorms forecasted for Tuesday, it's gonna be a long recovery process . I hope the crews at Energex work super fast to get everyone back online . Can't wait for those warm nites ahead though

This is a perfect example of how infrastructure and governance can fail us in times of need . I mean, 100,000 households without power? That's like, what, a third of the city without electricity? It's like our energy system is completely unprepared for extreme weather events .

And let me tell you, this storm is not just about Brisbane, it's about Queensland as a whole. We need to rethink our disaster response plans and make sure we're investing in the right infrastructure to deal with these kinds of events .

And have you noticed how Energex is just dumping all the blame on the winds? Winds are one thing, but what about the lack of planning and investment in renewable energy sources? It's like they're saying, "Well, it was always going to be bad weather, so we might as well stick with fossil fuels" .

We need to have a real conversation about how we can build resilience into our communities, not just wait for the storm to pass and then deal with the aftermath . This is what I call a "storm of opportunity" – an opportunity to rethink our priorities and make some real changes .