Severe storm cell drops 8cm hail on Gympie, Mary Valley

Giant hail, which has already smashed Gympie, is expected to hit even more parts of Queensland as a ferocious storm system heads further north. SEE THE PICTURES, WATCH THE VIDEO

Giant hail, which has already smashed Gympie, is expected to hit even more parts of Queensland as a ferocious storm system heads further north.

Just before 2pm, the weather bureau warned severe thunderstorms were likely to produce damaging, locally destructive winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Wide Bay and Burnett district.

Locations which may be affected include Maryborough, Childers and Tiaro.

There were also similar warnings for Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast districts.

Locations which may be affected include Bundaberg, Gladstone, Fraser Island, Calliope, Mount Morgan and Rainbow Beach.

It comes as 10cm diameter hail was reported at McIntosh Creek.

The warning was updated at 2.30pm to take in Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Fraser Island, Calliope and Mount Morgan.

Severe thunderstorms were no longer occurring in the Southeast Coast district and the warning for this district was cancelled.

10cm diameter hail was reported at McIntosh Creek earlier this afternoon while giant hail larger than 5cm was also observed at Maryborough.

Earlier, hail stones up to 8cm in size smashed down across the Gympie region from a rapidly developing severe storm cell which crossed the Mary Valley and the CBD.

Residents and workers across the city centre frantically raced to park their cars undercover as the cell passed over shortly before midday Monday.

The cell started developing between Kandanga and Gympie about 11.45am.

Across the next 30 minutes it grew in size and turned north, sweeping over the city.

It came after a warning that severe thunderstorms and strong winds for Gympie, Cooroy, Imbil and Nambour.

Vanessa Maree took this photo of massive chunk of hail that fell from the sky in Gympie.

Residents at the Southside reported stones up to 8cm in size, while stones larger than golf balls peppered Pie Creek, about 10km southwest of the city.

Stones of all shapes and sizes, smooth and jagged, pelted the city centre for more than 10 minutes with regular “shots” ringing through the air as the chunks of ice ricocheted off awnings and roofs.

Staff at Gympie’s Tenpin Bowling and Entertainment shared a video of the downpour at the height of the storm, saying “the weather is crazy”.

“Oh my Lord,” the staff member can be heard saying amid torrential rain sends water gushing across the car park amid the ping of hail stones.

It was the second hailstorm to strike the city in August after a storm turned the city centre white and collapsed the roof of a shopping centre business in August.

At 12.44pm the Bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning, with likely hail and damaging winds for the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast coast.

It comes after the Bureau issued a 11.57am alert for a severe thunderstorm warning for Gympie, Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas.

The 11.57am storm warning shows multiple severe thunderstorms in the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay regions.

“These thunderstorms are moving towards the northeast,” it said.

“They are forecast to affect the area southwest of Noosa Heads, the area southeast of Gympie and the area northeast of Gympie by 12:20pm and the area south of Gympie, the area east of Gympie and Pomona by 12:50pm.

“Large hailstones and damaging winds are likely.”

A second, more general warning was issued at 11.52am people in parts of Wide Bay and Burnett and Southeast Coast forecast districts.

Gympie hail Southside, Megan Louise Russell Ditton

Hail across Gympie region, December 4, 2023

Hail across Gympie region, December 4, 2023

Hail across Gympie region, December 4, 2023

Originally published as Severe storm cell drops 8cm hail on Gympie, Mary Valley