Qld weather: Southeast smashed by intense storms, as temperatures set to drop

South East Queensland has been lashed by short but intense storms that caused damage to property and forced multiple flights to be cancelled, with warnings of more heavy rain to come.

South East Queensland has been lashed by a short but intense burst of torrential rain and strong winds that caused damage to property and forced flights to be cancelled.

At least 35 flights were delayed and seven were cancelled as the storms raged through Brisbane and surrounding suburbs.

Ipswich saw the heaviest falls on Wednesday, with Tallegalla recording 50mm, and 41mm falling just west of Churchill over the 24 hours from 9am, while 14mm of rain was recorded in just 30 minutes from 3.30pm.

In Brisbane, the heaviest falls were near Wishart with 38mm recorded. North of Brisbane saw slightly lighter totals, with 31mm falling at Albany Creek.

More than 8mm of rain fell in just 30 minutes inner Brisbane.

A storm front seen from Coochiemudlo Island. Picture: Mandy Bremner

The highest totals were recorded in Archerfield, which saw 30mm in just two hours from 4pm to 6pm.

Rainfall recorded on Wednesday across eastern Queensland, with red and purple indicating the most intense falls. Picture: WeatherZone

Brisbane Airport also recorded significant rainfall, with 30mm falling in the past 24 hours, most of it concentrated in the hour from 5pm to 6pm.

Concentrated powerful winds were seen in Eagleby and Loganholme, while several Eagleby residents reported damage after the potential microburst.

Damage to a property in Eagleby. Picture: Supplied

Talise Pearsall said lightning struck a tree in her yard and she lost a shed, as she likened the howling winds to a tornado.

“I’m [in] one of the streets it hit in Eagleby. Hit our street badly,” she said.

“Lightning hit a tree in our yard. Lost my shed into the neighbours yard. Was like a tornado. So scary. Have never heard wind like that.

“Huge trees down, fences down, neighbours lost their roof, blew front doors open.”

Further south, the Gold Coast saw about 4mm fall between 5pm and 5.30pm.

More rain is expected on Saturday after a brief reprieve, but temperatures are expected to fall in the meantime, with Friday forecast to see a chilly 8C in Brisbane, and colder conditions likely to the west.

Isolated showers may develop later in the day in western areas, while morning frost is expected across parts of the southeastern interior.

Rain is expected to return to Brisbane on Saturday morning, with up to 15mm possible in the late afternoon and evening. Large parts of the state are forecast to receive anywhere from 1mm to 25mm across a 24-hour period.

Sunday will be a little drier for most regions, though Brisbane could still see up to 10mm, while coastal areas near Bundaberg may receive up to 15mm.

Originally published as Qld weather: Southeast smashed by intense storms, as temperatures set to drop