Wild storm lashes Sunshine Coast

Four flights have been diverted from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane this morning as the region continues to cop a pounding from mother nature.

The damage in the wake of our wild weather. If you have pictures from last night's storm, you can email them to [e-mail]

Four flights have been diverted from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane this morning as the region continues to cop a pounding from mother nature.

A Maroochy Council spokesperson urged people flying or picking up friends or relatives, to check with the airlines on departure and arrival details.

"Today we have seen four inbound flight diversions to Brisbane due to the current severe weather conditions. Those affected passengers will be bussed from Brisbane Airport to the Sunshine Coast Airport,'' the spokesperson said.

"If you are leaving from the Sunshine Coast and your flight has been diverted to Brisbane you will need to arrive and depart from the Sunshine Coast Airport via bus to the Brisbane Airport. We ask all passengers to arrive at normal times to allow for processing and departure to Brisbane Airport on time.

"For more information please contact your airline on: Virgin Blue on 136 789 or Jetstar on 131 538.''

Winds of almost 100kmh have brought down trees across the Sunshine Coast, leaving thousands of homes without power.

Police said one lucky driver escaped with only minor damage to his car as he managed to brake heavily as a tree came down on Karawatha Drive, Mountain Creek, about 9pm last night.

Another driver was even luckier when a car came crashing down on his car at Kunda Park at 2am this morning, trapping him inside.

The motorist told local radio station Mix-FM he was driving home from work when a huge tree fell out of the sky, bouncing off his car as he kept going along about 30 metres. He lost control of the vehicle, sliding onto the wrong side of the road.

A passing motorist managed to rescue him and the driver escaped with only minor injuries.

But he said his car looked like it had a dead man in it and was completely crushed.

A truck also jacknifed during heavy rain on the Sunshine Motorway near Wises Farm this morning, but it is understood nobody was seriously hurt.

Residents phoned in reports of trees being down in Peachester, Sugarbag Road, Caloundra, Kuluin and Coolum but there had been not been reports of any major property damage late last night.

Energex said that throughout the day and night, 68,754 homes and businesses were affected by the extreme weather.

Isolated heavy rain also caused some access issues for crews as they attempted to repair damage, but despite the challenging conditions, dozens of crews safely restored power to the vast majority of customers within two hours of power going out.

At 8.30am today, there were more than 7000 Sunshine Coast customers still without power, with most of those in the Mapleton, Montville, Flaxton and Palmwoods areas, and 1000 in Buderim.

An Energex spokeswoman said crews were hoping to have power restored to most Coast homes by lunch time, however the high winds made repair work more difficult.

The rough weather forced the closure of Sunshine Coast airport last night, with all inbound and outbound flights cancelled, but it is expected to reopen about 10am today.

Rail services north of Caboolture have also been cancelled because of power outages.

Some beaches on the Coast are closed and surfing coach Robbie Sherwell warned that only the most experienced surfers should even consider heading into the ocean.

"There are 3m swells behind Point Cartwright - it's just a huge white-water wall - and there's about 2m of swell behind the Alex Surfclub," he told thedaily.com.au.

A Bureau of Meteorology forecaster said this morning that winds of more than 95kmh were recorded in Maroochydore overnight, while gusts reached around 120kmh further north at Double Island Point.

He said the winds would slowly ease this afternoon, although showers are expected to continue until the end of the week.

The severe storm cell hit the Gold Coast about 11am yesterday, with winds reaching more than 85kmh and more than 100mm falling in the hinterland during the day.

The cell reached Moreton Bay in the late afternoon and the Sunshine Coast around 9pm.

At 11pm, police said they were being inundated with calls from people reporting fallen trees across the road, including at Hunchy Road, Hunchy, on Nambour-Bli Bli Road near Atkinson Road, Pelican Waters Boulevard, and Coolum-Yandina Road, near Apps Road.

Workers with chainsaws made light work of a fallen tree on Yandina-Coolum Road, while earlier police officers kicked away fallen branches on Bli Bli Road.

In Maleny, weather watcher Patrick Stacey said the downpour started at 4.55pm, with the rain quite hard at times but patchy.

“The low has drifted further south, squeezing up the isobars, but (the weather) seems to be just below Brisbane,” Mr Stacey said about 5pm.

“Here, it’s just a nice belt of rain, just what we need.

“It might just be we are on the fringe (of the weather), it would seem.”

Earlier yesterday, the The University of the Sunshine Coast cancelled evening classes.

The university issued an email warning asking students to keep an eye on the weather and for those reliant on public transport to consider leaving early.

At 3.30pm, the university cancelled evening classes and urged students to go home early as the severe storm front ripped down power lines at the Gold Coast.

They email read: “It is unclear how the campus will be affected, so in the interests of public safety, all classes starting after 5pm have been cancelled.”

However, many did not take the warning seriously because of deceptive blue sky and gentle breeze.

Ben Meredith, of Buddina, said he wasn’t leaving early because of the storm threat.

“I’m quite sceptical about the whole thing,” he said. “My car is under cover so I’m not worried.”

One Caboolture couple decided to hit the road early after hearing the storm system was approaching their houses.

Shannon Johnston and Jamie Sukkar, both 19, were relaxing between classes when they heard about the warning.

They decided to leave the campus at around 3.30pm in the hope of making it home before the worst of the weather hit.

“We weren’t too concerned about it until we found out it was already at Caboolture,” Jamie said.

“We have to drive 40 minutes from here to there and I need to get my car undercover.”

University spokesman Terry Walsh said the last time classes were cancelled was in March 2004 when wild weather lashed the Coast.

He said staff were confident the buildings would withstand the strong winds, but had issued the warning as a precaution.

Classes have resumed again this morning.

A Lismore woman, reported driving to the Gold Coast through extremely hazardous conditions as gale force winds slammed motorists on the Pacific Highway yesterday.

Elly Bird said she slowly navigated the worst of it to arrive to her destination safely.

“I was getting buffeted off the road, and the occasional big blast of wind,” she said.

“It’s raining really heavily here and the wind is amazing!”

Energex is asking residents to remain well clear of any fallen powerlines and call 13 19 62 to report them.

People can also report loss of electricity supply 24-hours a day by phoning 13 62 62.

Homes and businesses lose power on Gold Coast

About 1000 homes and businesses on the Gold Coast lost power after strong winds swept through the area yesterday.

Energex said almost 2000 residences in the southern Gold Coast region lost power when forecast winds of just over 90km/h struck between 11am and 11.30am.

"Conditions are being described as difficult, which means windy and wet," an Energex spokesman said.

Maritime Safety Queensland also issued a warning for all boats to head out to sea as the coastal regions faced similar weather conditions which forced ships aground in New South Wales earlier this year.

The wild weather has seen swells of up to three metres on the Gold Coast.

On the NSW northern rivers, about 65 SES volunteers were working to repair leaking roofs and damage from fallen trees and clearing debris from roads after strong winds and heavy rain hit earlier yesterday.

In severe weather warnings issued yesterday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology warned people to secure loose outdoor items and beware of fallen trees and powerlines.

It also advised people to stay clear of the open ocean, as large waves and rip currents may develop.

Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts yesterday urged residents in south-east Queensland to prepare for the severe weather and to remember the new State Emergency Service (SES) number – 132 500 – if they needed help.

“This type of weather pattern is occurring outside our traditional storm and cyclone season, however SES volunteers and other emergency services are on standby to provide assistance,” Mr Roberts said.

“All residents in south-east Queensland should clear their properties of loose items, put garden furniture and toys inside, shelter and secure animals and ensure they have a portable radio, spare batteries and first aid kit available.

“By being prepared for severe weather, people can greatly reduce the risks to family, pets and property.”

The severe weather pattern is likely to result in this weekend’s Island Charity Swim being postponed.

Event spokesman Bill Hoffman said the charity event was in “extreme doubt”.

“(There) is a less than 50% chance the event will be held this Saturday,” he said.

“A final call will be made on Wednesday but organisers are urging participants to begin planning for the event to be staged on Saturday, September 1.”

He said about 50 teams and eight individual swimmers had signed on for this year’s swim, which follows an 11km course from Mudjimba Beach around Old Woman Island and across to Mooloolaba.

However, conditions are expected to gradually ease towards the end of the week as the low pressure system moves north-east, away from the coast.

For further information, go to the Bureau of Meteorology website.

Originally published as Wild storm lashes Sunshine Coast