Australian record set as giant 16cm hailstones hammer North Queensland
There was giant hail from the Gold Coast to Mackay and high winds as a third day of wild storms hit Queensland.
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Queenslanders reported hail falling from the Gold Coast to Mackay on Wednesday afternoon with one regional town resembling a winter postcard.
A half-hour downpour at Biloela blanketed the outback town in hail and a 120km/h wind gust was recorded at Mackay.
And storm activity brewed into the night, with storm warnings issued for the southern Darling Downs, Brisbane, Logan and southern Moreton Bay waters.
âš ï¸â›ˆï¸ Severe Thunderstorm #Warning update: severe thunderstorm moving east across the southern and southeastern #Brisbane suburbs including #Logan. Details and updates: https://t.co/CinugnxqkNpic.twitter.com/UmlhAT1GlT
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) October 20, 2021
However by about 9pm the worst of it had blown over, with the weather bureau continuing to monitor the situation.
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🎶 Thunder only happens when it's raining 🌧 #BNEStorm#Bneweatherpic.twitter.com/5RTrzIBph6
— Elisha Friday Matthews (@MsFridayology) October 20, 2021
Mt Alford in the Scenic Rim recorded 45mm rain in one hour.
Earlier, storms were detected near Logan City, Slacks Creek and Murray Bridge, moving east-northeast and forecast to affect the area southeast of Warwick, the area east of Warwick and Ormiston by 8.20pm and Cleveland, Peel Island and southern waters of Moreton Bay by 8.50pm.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST BUREAU WARNINGS FOR QUEENSLAND
“I always wanted to see it snow,” Biloela resident Crystal Connelly said about the wild weather the town endured.
Ms Connelly said she quickly moved her car undercover before capturing the “crazy” scenes on camera.
She said the hailstones were up to 5cm long.
Panel Beater Dave Hill scrambled to get all of his customer’s cars under cover before the hailstorm turned Biloela into a scene that resembled a winter wonderland.
His wife Renee said their children thought the hail was “wonderful” as they played after the storm.
Ms Hill believed they would have recorded at least 50mm rain if hail hadn’t clogged their gauge.
A severe thunderstorm warning remains active for people in the Central Coast and Whitsundays, Capricornia, Southeast Coast and parts of Herbert and Lower Burdekin, Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett and Darling Downs and Granite Belt Forecast Districts.
Another storm warning is active further south and warns of hail and damaging wind for the Gympie region.
Further north, Ricky Mcleod said a significant amount of hail fell at Marian near Mackay but the hailstones weren’t quite as big.
Hail was also captured by a Tallebudgera resident after lunch.
BOM before 2pm warned severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near the area south of Gympie and Jimna.
These thunderstorms were moving towards the northeast and were forecast to affect Kenilworth by 2.40pm.
Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely.
Rockhampton and parts of Central Queensland have been hit by wild hail storms as the state’s southeast braces for wild weather.
A severe thunderstorm could bring large hailstones and damaging winds for Noosa and Gympie regions on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology at 1pm warned the severe storms were detected on the radar near Imbil and moving northeast.
“They are forecast to affect the ranges between Gympie and Murgon and Kandanga by 1.30pm and the area south of Gympie and Amamoor by 2pm,” the warning stated.
Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely.
A more general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for parts of the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast districts.
Earlier, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the combination of hot, dry and moderate to locally fresh west to south-westerly winds will produce Severe fire dangers across the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders district on Wednesday.
There is also a severe thunderstorm warning for Rockhampton, Mount Morgan, Yeppoon and Byfield.
These areas may experience destructive winds, giant hailstones and heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services are advising people in these areas should move their cars under cover or away from trees.
For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
Yesterday, a new Australian hail record is believed to have been set after giant ice stones pelted Yalboroo, north of Mackay, smashing windshields and drawing the attention of international weather watchers.
Possibly record setting hail was reported in Yalboroo, north of Mackay in Australia earlier this Tuesday.
— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) October 19, 2021
This after a day yesterday that had tornadoes. Remarkable!
🎥: Christopher Harvey pic.twitter.com/fb3eis1IBx
The Bureau of Meteorology said it had seen credible footage of hail measuring 16cm in diameter, which would top the previous record of 14cm set in Brisbane’s southwestern suburbs about the same time last year.
“It’s very impressive – obviously not for the residents underneath it – but some very impressive hail,” senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said.
“We saw some photos of hail next to a tape measure, the team will be looking at that to see if we can verify it.”
Social media was flooded with images of hailstones, some clearly bigger than an adult’s hand.
“That‘s not hail. That’s more like a glacier,” Karen Gillick wrote on the Higgins Storm Chaser Facebook page.
“Hail this size should be called “Widowmaker” hail,” said Patrick Schubert.
“Holy sh —balls. Looks more like an iceberg. It’s true. Everything in Australia is trying to kill us,” said Kerrie Murphy
“An insurance company‘s nightmare,” added Bret Dalziel.
Footage posted by Christopher Harvey showed severe damage to his car, with the windscreen smashed in.
“That is some big ice. Jesus. I’m going to have some dints after this,” Mr Harvey said.
Storms are expected to linger over the southeast and central Queensland coasts on Wednesday, with large to giant hail a possibility,
Elsewhere, there are showers tipped for the Illawarra and a storm could hit Sydney.
A large weather front and low pressure system over Western Australia had winds of up to 108km an hour battering Rottnest Island and bringing heavy rain. The BOM said this was likely to move into South Australia, pushing hot and damaging winds across the state’s north and western regions.
Severe to extreme heatwave conditions are expected to continue across the top end after several Northern Territory towns set October temperature records.
Tennant Creek soared to 42.4 degrees on Tuesday.
Originally published as Australian record set as giant 16cm hailstones hammer North Queensland
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