Gold Coast weather: Severe thunderstorm smashes southern Gold Coast and Tweed

Council crews and the SES are working to clear up after more than 150 calls for help following a wild storm that battered the southern Gold Coast and Tweed Heads on Thursday.

Gold Coast City Council received more than 150 calls for assistance after a wild storm with winds of up to 93km/h ripped through the south of the city and Tweed Heads on Thursday morning, downing trees and powerlines and causing flights to be diverted.

In frightening scenes, a car was crushed by trees outside a childcare centre in Tweed Heads, while more than 2500 homes had their power cut as the weather system passed through from about 8.50am to 9.30am.

A council spokesperson said 16 crews had been tasked with clearing debris repairing damage caused by the storm.

State Emergency Service crews were also tasked to help with the clean-up, working on damage to private property.

The spokesperson warned there could be more to come, saying council’s Disaster and Emergency Management team was “actively monitoring” storm activity.

“Today continues to remain a volatile day with a chance of further high-end storm activity, reducing into this afternoon,” the spokesperson said.

“Severe storms may return tomorrow with the heatwave expected to continue.”

Five cars were badly damaged and the Freckles Kindergarten building when a giant tree fell during the storm at Tweed Heads. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Storm Damage, Coolangatta Tweed area. Five cars were badly damaged and the Freckles Kindergarten building when a giant tree fell during the storm at Tweed heads. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The storm caused disruption at Gold Coast Airport, where the power went out for a short period and a flight from Hong Kong had to be diverted to Brisbane as rain and wind battered the tarmac.

An spokesperson confirmed there was a “brief outage” which lasted for “a couple of minutes”, but power had been restored at 9am.

However the Hong Kong Airlines plane which was scheduled to land on the Gold Coast at 8.35am was diverted to Brisbane.

Marine Parade in Greenmount was closed when a giant Norfolk pine came down during the storm, while trees also fell on suburban roads in Currumbin Waters.

In Tweed Heads a childcare centre and a number of cars were damaged when a massive tree came down in its car park.

The dramatic tree fall happened at the Freckles Kindy & Learning Centre on Kennedy Drive.

Of five cars damaged, one was completely crushed by the tree.

The base of the tree that fell at the Freckles Kindergarten in Tweed heads. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

A NSW Police spokesman said miraculously no one had been injured in the incident.

“We understand this has happened at a car park close to a kindergarten on Kennedy Drive at Tweed Heads. Powerlines were damaged when the tree fell,” the spokesman said.

“No injuries have been reported.”

Trees down in Currumbin Waters. Picture: Zoe DB / Palm Beach–Currumbin–Elanora Residents community Group

Popular Queensland weather forecasting Facebook page Higgins Storm Chasing said they had received reports that wind gusts in the storm had reached 93km/h.

“The exposed Gold Coast Airport looking like it’s copping cyclonic conditions,” the post said.

An Energex spokesman said the cell was extremely concentrated on the southern Gold Coast, with more than 4500 lightning strikes hitting the region as the storm passed over.

At 9.30am, more than 2,596 homes were without power in Tallebudgera, Tallebudgera Valley, Elanora and Coolangatta. By lunch time most had been reconnected.

Tweed SES check out the best way to clear debris from a car damaged on Wharf Rd. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Marine Parade in Greenmount was closed when a giant Norfolk pine came down during the storm. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Residents of the area described the storm as “terrifying”, stating there were trees down across the Gold Coast including on Marine Parade in Coolangatta.

“Has to of been a mini cyclone for sure,” Kylee McKinnon said on Facebook.

“I live near the Airport and it certainly felt cyclonic,” Krystal Duncan added.

“We’ve got trees down from what I can do. I had to go rescue my empty wheelie bin before it became a projectile. It was very scary.”

The storm came after a sweltering hot day on Wednesday, when temperatures on the Gold Coast topped 36.7C.

A power pole also went up in flames and power lines fell at multiple places as the storm rocked the southern Gold Coast.

A Queensland Fire Department spokesman said a fire crew was called to Marine Pde at Coolangatta just before 9am, after reports a power pole was on fire.

Another fire crew attended a power incident at Elanora, after reports power lines had fallen at Guineas Creek Rd at the Simpsons Rd off ramp.

The QFD spokesman said another crew responded to an incident on Coolangatta Rd at Bilinga just after 9am after a tree fell onto a car.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said a man in his 30s was the only occupant of the vehicle, and was able to get out of the car uninjured.

Emergency services responded to reports of more fallen power lines at Tallebudgera.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman said police attended to control traffic in the area after three power lines fell at Tallebudgera Creek Rd.

Follow @CrysalFoxJour1

Originally published as Gold Coast weather: Severe thunderstorm smashes southern Gold Coast and Tweed