Destructive 184km/h winds batter Wide Bay leaving thousands without power
Destructive supercells with record-breaking 184km/h winds and tennis ball-sized hail have devastated Wide Bay Burnett, leaving hundreds without power as forecasters warn worse weather lies ahead. VIDEO, PHOTOS
Destructive super cells left a trail of carnage across the Wide Bay Burnett on Monday afternoon, with tennis ball-sized hail, record-breaking winds and a mesocyclone that created tornado-like conditions.
Fallen power lines and trees blocked roads, giant hail damaged buildings and cars, trampolines went missing and roads were flooded from the torrential downpour.
Winds reportedly reached more than 180km/h at Bargara and other coastal areas near Bundaberg.
On the Fraser Coast, the Hervey Bay Marine Rescue crew carried out a high-risk medivac operation in a 1.5m swell to retrieve an unwell person on K’gari and were caught in the supercell as they headed back to the mainland.
The crew described the final moments of the operation as “an added layer of excitement” atop an already demanding mission. The rescue was carried out successfully.
To the south, but north of Tin Can Bay, a tornado reportedly touched down south of Poona in what was described as a “mesocyclone” which is a deep, rotating updraft within a severe thunderstorm, most often a supercell. It forms from a change in wind speed or direction with height (wind shear) that creates a horizontal tube of spinning air, which is then tilted vertically by the thunderstorm’s updraft. Mesocyclones are the engine of supercells and are important because they can lead to the formation of powerful tornadoes, which are a much smaller extension of this larger rotation.
The warning area included the Wide Bay Training Area at Tin Can Bay, Maroom, Poona, Tinnanbar, Booonooroo and southern Fraser Island.
A video captured by a couple caught in the supercell on the Maryborough Cooloola Road shows the terrifying rain and wind, with trees falling down in front of them and completely blocking the road. You can watch the full video here.
Hayley Bond wrote, “This is what a cyclone feels like”.
“It rolls in and envelopes you and throws vehicles around like toys. What an amazing area we live in. People appeared like they just came out of the bush. Young guys using snatch straps to try to move trees out of the way and one lone chain saw that sounded like music to the ears! Thanks to everyone that helped, including the wonderful gentleman who led us out through the forestry tracks, after his own windscreen, bonnet and lights had been smashed by a tree. We had to follow him out sitting behind him with our lights on full beam so he could see where he was going.”
Higgins Storm Chasing reported that a weather station near Bargara recorded winds of 184km/h.
To the west, Patricia Donald of Blackbutt in the South Burnett asked whether anyone else had severe winds an hour before any rainfall.
“We are in Benarkin North and around 4.30ish the winds from bore down upon us,” she said.
“It was pretty nerve wracking as we have a lot of trees but they hung in there.
“Bark flew everywhere and the sky was grey but no rain until about an hour later,” Ms Donald said.
At Bargara, Aaron See saw a tree demolished by a direct hit from lightning.
The tree “blew apart,” he said.
Another Bundaberg resident, Reynolds PM, said the storm was like nothing he’d seen before.
“It felt and sounded different to most storms,” he said.
“The wind was incredible. Vertical rain. A little hail at Gooburrum.”
Michelle White of Innes Park said “it was unbelievable!”
“We are in the southern end of Bargara ( Innes Park north) the raw sound of that wind was amazing and the amount of rain!”
“Lots of trees and fences are down,” she said.
Paula Gaiter of Deepwater said “It felt like a tornado at our place”.
“We’ve been smashed. But our neighbours got hardly anything. Very weird,” she said.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson could not confirm reports a tornado had made landfall but said the region suffered some significant winds and monstrous sized hail.
The weather system started in northern NSW and travelled north, he said.
According to BOM weather mapping, the Gladstone region copped the most significant wind gusts, which measured about 120 km/h.
Hervey Bay recorded winds up to 76 km/h, he said.
“Anything over 90 km/h is considered destructive”.
The winds were brutal enough to fell powerlines, multiple trees and cause damage to properties across the region.
Many residents remained without power on Tuesday morning.
Energex said more the 600 power lines were down across South East Queensland on Tuesday morning, with about 6200 outages in the Gympie region.
“Energex counted more than 880,000 lightning strikes during the storms yesterday,” the statement said.
“The restoration of power is likely to continue late into Wednesday in some areas, due to the extent of the damage and difficult access.”
“Fallen powerlines may be hidden underneath debris and could well be live,” the statement said.
The Bundaberg Regional Council also released a statement advising residents to be wary of fallen powerlines.
“More than 240 homes remain without power,” the statement read.
“Council is also working to unblock a number of drainage inlets impacted by debris which is reducing the ability of some local drains to flow.”
“The SES is also attending several incidents, including minor roof damage and trees down in Elliott Heads, Bargara and Bundaberg.”
Ergon recorded more than 20 unplanned outages from about 5.30pm Monday, with about 735 customers affected across the Wide Bay.
Hail measured 5-10cm was also found across the region.
North Gympie recorded hail as large as 10 cm, the spokesman said.
While Monday’s storm rattled residents across the Wide Bay, BOM warns conditions are set to continue through the week.
Residents can expect soaring temperatures through the day, culminating in violent storms from about 4pm and into the evening.
Residents should limit travel and consult their local council’s weather emergency dashboard, he said.
Queensland Ambulance Services also issued a statement on Tuesday, warning Queenslanders of extreme temperatures.
“Temperatures are forecast to be dangerously high today with a heatwave warnings ranging from low to extreme throughout most of the state,” the statement said.
“More storms are forecast for the south of Queensland later today and throughout the week, and heat-related illness is a concern.”
