Thousands without power after storm whips through Brisbane suburbs

An intense downpour lasting just minutes, and accompanied by wind gusts and hail, left thousands of Brisbane residents without power on Thursday afternoon.

Almost 6100 residents in Camp Hill and Carindale lost power to their homes about 3pm on Thursday, after the sudden storm toppled trees and sent unsecured items flying.

Energex then pulled a further 6000 homes from the grid due to reports of fallen powerlines, leaving almost 12,000 residences without power at 5.30pm Thursday.

Residents in Carina, Camp Hill, Carina Heights, and Carindale reported strong winds during a minutes-long storm that hit mid-afternoon on Thursday.Credit: Courtney Kruk; Marissa Calligeros

Energex recorded 216,000 lightning strikes across the south-east on Thursday across three storms that hit the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and the stretch of suburbs in Brisbane’s south.

Residents reported hail and intense winds during the minutes-long weather event, followed by sirens in the aftermath.

Across the south-east, more than 20,000 homes remained affected at 5.30pm Thursday.

Energy supplier Energex launched an investigation into the exact cause of the outages, which it reported as three separate incidents across the south-Brisbane stretch, as sunny skies returned to the city about 3pm.

“It was really intense for such a small storm … we’ve got a 44 wires down at the moment [in Brisbane’s south],” an Energex spokesman said.

The storm barely interrupted the low-intensity heatwave conditions across the south-east, which prompted a warning from the Queensland Ambulance Service for people to “take it easy” in the conditions.

“We’re advising Queenslanders to try and stay safe in this heat by doing simple measures like straying in the shade or air conditions where possible, drinking cool water, and … not engaging in any strenuous exercise in the peak of the day,” QAS spokesman Kent Jackson said.

Jackson advised those experiencing symptoms of heat stress, which include heavy sweating, nausea, fatigue, and a weak, rapid pulse, to immediately seek medical attention.

Brisbane was expected to reach 31 degrees on Friday – overnight minimums were not expected to drop below 20 degrees – with humid conditions and a high likelihood of showers continuing through the weekend.

Energex expected to restore power to most of the affected Brisbane suburbs by about 7.00pm Thursday night.

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