Man killed after storm brings down tree

A MAN has died after a tree fell on to his home as storms rolled across NSW and southeast Queensland on Wednesday.

A MAN has died after a tree fell on to his home as storms rolled across NSW and southeast Queensland on Wednesday.

A neighbour called emergency services about 7pm after she saw a large fig tree had fallen onto a cabin on Kings Road, Federal, 20km west of Byron Bay. But the man died at the scene before emergency services arrived.

LATEST RAINFALL FIGURES

A tree which fell on a house in Federal, in northern NSW, killing a man during heavy storms which hit the Gold Coast and northern rivers region. Picture: Campbell Gellie

A supercell storm system battered NSW on Wednesday, with hail and torrential winds leaving wreckage and flooding along the coastline. About 89mm of rain was dumped on Mullumbimby in just 30 minutes.

Queensland escaped supercell activity, with the storms hitting late in the afternoon and evening when conditions weren’t as humid.

The tree fell during Wednesday’s supercell storms. Picture: Campbell Gellie

Lightning was seen in some parts of the Sunshine State, with several striking images captured on the Gold Coast.

Lightning seen from Surfers Paradise on Wednesday. Picture: Nigel Hallett

By 7.30pm the multiple severe storm warnings that had been triggered throughout the afternoon for Queensland had all been cancelled.

“The southeasterly change, which was going to be the main figure for the severe storms, moved up from NSW a lot slower than initially thought … by the time it got here it was night time … thunderstorms like high temperatures and really hot humid air (which is why they often form in the mid-afternoon),” BoM forecaster Tony Wedd said.

After an abnormally warm October day, southeast Queensland will feel a cool change in the coming days.

“From tomorrow the storms move up to the Wide Bay area,” Mr Wedd said.

The severe storm warnings were cancelled by 7.30pm but not before an impressive lightning show over the Gold Coast. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“We’ll still see wet weather here, probably some more cool showery weather over the next few days and weekend, even possibly some rain but not the violent storms we’ve seen over the past week.”

Mr Wedd said the mixed bag of weather over the past week is a glimpse into the storm season which has well and truly begun.

“October is probably the first month that you genuinely call part of the storm season,” he said.

Dominic Damjanoski captured these shots of lightning striking above the Palmer Colonial Golf Course on the Gold Coast.

Wednesday’s lightning show in the southeast came after almost a week of storms in the southeast. Most recently, the Sunshine Coast was hammered by large hail storms and heavy rain on Tuesday.

Nambour and Fernvale bore the brunt of 2cm of hail stones falling during the afternoon, while very heavy rain was recorded at Coolum which was lashed with 56mm of rain in just 15 minutes.

Trees were also ripped down around Noosa, with thousands of homes left without power for several hours.

A supercell hits Yamanto in Ipswich. Picture: Mr "S" Photography